By  WALLACE  NUTTING 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Getty  Research  Institute 


https://archive.org/details/windsorhandbookc00nutt_1 


«ogs  ■ = == 

Windsor  Handbook 


Comprising  Illustrations  & Descriptions  of 
Windsor  Furniture  of  all  Periods 
including  Side  Chairs,  Arm  Chairs,  Comb- 
Backs,  Writing-Arm  Windsors,  Babies’  High 
Backs,  Babies’  Low  Chairs,  Child’s  Chairs,  also 
Settees,  Love  Seats,  Stools  & Tables 

By  Wallace  Nutting 


OLD  AMERICA  COMPANY  . 

FRAMINGHAM  and  BOSTON 
■ — ! — 


Copyright,  1917,  by 

WALLACE  NUTTING 

Warning  is  hereby  given  that  both  the  pictures  and 
the  text  are  protected  by  law , and  may  not  be  copied 
without  the  consent  of  the  author 


How  To  Use  This  Book 

THE  descriptions  of  the  pieces  shown  are  in  every 
case  either  under  them  or  opposite  them.  First 
occurs  the  best  general  name  or  definition  which 
we  can  give  to  the  chair.  The  Condition  is  then 
stated,  which  term  includes  a description  of  any  altera- 
tions or  additions  and  indicates  the  general  condition  of 
the  piece.  Under  the  term  Merit  is  an  effort  at  an 
appraisal  of  the  style  of  the  piece.  Here  the  relative 
terms  used  are:  “The  Highest,”  “Very  High,”  “High,” 
“Moderate,”  “Slight.”  These  words  are  followed  by 
some  description  of  the  good  or  bad  features  of  the  piece. 
Under  Date  the  following  graduated  terms  are  used: 
“The Earliest,”  “Very  Early,”  “Early,”  “Middle  Period,” 
“Late,”  “Very  Late.”  The  reader  is  cautioned  that 
these  terms  are  relative  and  that  specific  dates  are  omitted 
through  the  book,  for  after  the  most  diligent  investigation 
it  is  impossible  to  arrive  at  more  precise  statements.  It 
is  sometimes  the  case  that  two  periods  are  mixed.  There  is 
no  absolute  standard  of  date.  The  statement  of  date 
is  merely  an  approximation.  All  the  periods  are  included 
between  1725  and  1825. 

Under  ‘the  word  Occurrence  is  given  the  relative 
frequency  with  which  the  piece  in  question  is  found. 
There  is  here  not  so  much  reason  for  doubt  though  in 
some  cases  the  classification  may  be  challenged,  so  far  as 
one  step  up  or  down  is’  concerned.  The  terms  employed 
are  as  follows:  “Unique,”  “Extremely  Rare,”  “Very 
Rare,”  “Rare,”  “Unusual,”  “Common.” 

Under  Owned  by  is  given  the  owner’s  name,  if  it  is 
known  and  the  owner  does  not  object. 

Besides  the  description  of  each  chair  by  itself,  various 
headings  bearing  upon  the  special  features  of  Windsors 
are  carried  through  the  book. 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Transitional  Corner  Chair 

Peculiar  in  that  the  comb,  usually  attached  with  a splat, 
is  a true  Windsor  comb,  and  has  two  spindles  running 
down  to  the  seat,  thus  suggesting  the  true  Windsor. 
Shown  as  a connecting  link.  Nothing  below  the  back 
is  at  all  WiNDSOR-like. 

Date:  17 10-1730? 

Owned  by  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  New  York. 


The  Windsor  Chair 

A Windsor  chair,  even  to  a person  who  does  not  know  it  by 
name,  is  perhaps  more  suggestive  of  pleasant  reflections  than  any 
other  article  of  furniture.  No  doubt  its  origin  was  humble,  though 
a king  George  is  reputed  to  have  discovered  it  at  Windsor  and  made 
it  popular  — a mere  legend. 

The  Windsor  chair  is  said  to  have  been  known  by  1700,  but 
that  date  is  not  supported  by  evidence.  The  earliest  specimens  in 
America  are  of  about  1725. 

The  Windsor  has  held  its  popularity  steadily  for  two  centuries  in 
its  original  or  debased  forms.  No  other  style  of  furniture  has  been  so 
persistent  and  kept  its  quiet  place  while  other  styles  came  and  went. 

The  reasons  are  obvious.  The  Windsor  is  comfortable,  and  thus 
escapes  a charge  to  the  contrary  made  against  most  styles  of  antique 
furniture.  To  be  sure,  a common  wooden  seat  is  not  inviting,  but 
when  properly  shaped  it  becomes  easy.  And  there  is  no  objection 
to  a cushion,  used  of  old  more  commonly  even  than  now.  A cushion 
is  more  sanitary  than  upholstery,  as  a cushion  admits  of  beating 
and  airing. 

The  Windsor  is  the  lightest  of  chairs,  considering  its  durability. 
It  is  easily  moved.  And  it  is  low  in  cost  — at  least,  when  new. 

The  common  kitchen  chair  is  really  a Windsor  reduced  to  its 
lowest  terms.  The  Concord  wagon  seat,  so  common  in  the  last 
generation,  had  a true  Windsor  back. 

The  final  merit  of  the  Windsor  is  its  beauty.  Though  its  lines 
are  so  simple,  it  is  at  its  best  .very  dignified,  attractive,  and  decora- 
tive. Indeed,  so  far  have  some  admirers  of  it  gone  that  they  place 
it  in  a parlor.  It  really  is  appropriate  in  some  form  in  almost  any 
room  except  the  parlor,  in  an  eighteenth  or  nineteenth  century  house. 


5 


A Windsor  Handbook 


English  Double-back  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  The  English  Windsors  lack  grace.  Observe  how 
stubby  and  shapeless  the  arms  are.  The  bow  is  very 
heavy  without  being  stronger  for  its  purpose  than  a 
lighter  one.  The  splat  is  peculiar  to  the  English  type. 

In  fact  the  spindles  in  the  English  chair  were  added 
to  increase  the  comfort  of  the  sitter  and  enhance  the 
“sack  back”  effect.  The  American  saw  no  reason  for 
not  making  all  spindles  with  no  splat. 

The  legs  are  a very  poor  feature  in  English  Wind- 
sors. They  are  too  nearly  vertical  and  start  too  near 
the  comer  of  the  seat  for  strength  or  beauty,  and  their 
turnings  are  very  clumsy. 

Date : Early  type,  though  continued  in  England  to  a 
middle  or  even  late  period. 

Occurrence:  Very  common  in  England. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  32 
Green  Street,  Newbury  port,  Mass. 


7 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Short  Arm,  Heavy  Rail  Bow-back 

Condition:  The  bow  is  restored,  and  also  the  feet  behind. 

Merit:  Very  high.  The  shape  of  the  arms  is  fine,  both  as 
to  their  sharp  outward  turn,  or  ramp,  and  the  carved 
knuckle.  But  both  are  rather  heavy.  The  turnings 
are  the  Pennsylvania  type  with  ball  ends,  and  are  not 
so  graceful  as  the  northern  type. 

The  seat  is  perfect,  being  saddle-shaped,  not  only  as 
seen  in  the  picture,  but,  as  looked  down  upon,  the  front 
edge  is  also  “scrolled,”  or  cut  in  a double  saddle  curve 
from  the  center  each  way. 

Owing  to  the  sharp  incut  or  “ramp,”  at  the  sides  of 
the  seat,  the  front  arm  spindles  must  slant  sharply  to 
keep  behind  the  incut. 

It  is  easy  to  see  in  the  heavy  arm  rail  of  this  chair 
how  closely  it  resembles  a roundabout  chair  rail. 

Date:  Very  early. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  Wallace'  Nutting,  Hazen  Garrison  House, 
8 Groveland  Street,  Haverhill,  Vlass. 


The  Heavy  Rail 

The  arms  in  the  heavy  type  of  Windsor  chair  are  continuous 
with  a level  semi-circular  back  rail  which  is  reinforced  in  the  back 
by  a second  piece  placed  over  the  joint  of  the  two  parts,  to  unite  or 
splice  them.  In  the  chair  opposite  this  work  is  so  nicely  done  that 
no  joint  appears.  A handsome  molding  ends  the  center  splice  on 
each  arm  — a kind  of  step-down. 


9 


A Windsor  Handbook 


High  Bow-back,  Light  Arm 

Condition:  Good;  apparently  original. 

Merit:  Very  high.  This  chair  is  very  simple  and  belongs 
to  the  lighter  type  of  bow-backs.  The  special  merit  is 
the  great  height  of  the  back  above  the  seat.  It  thus 
answered  as  a head  rest,  a rare  thing  in  a plain  bow- 
back,  but  common  enough  in  comb-backs.  It  is  sur- 
prising that  not  more  chairs  of  this  sort  were  made; 
for  by  their  great  rarity  we  judge  they  were  always 
relatively  scarce.  There  is  a pleasing  enlargement  of 
the  bow  just  before  its  tenon  enters  the  rail.  The 
chair  is  a notable  example  of  the  grace  obtained  through 
sheer  simplicity. 

Yet  it  fails  in  some  particulars.  It  should  have  been 
planned  to  have  nine  long  spindles,  and  thus  arrange 
the  side  spindles  nearer  together  and  afford  a gradual 
fan  space,  avoiding  in  part  the  present  uneven  spacing. 

The  turnings  are  good,  but  not  so  deep  as  the  best. 
The  turned  arm  spindles  match  the  legs. 

Date : Early,  but  we  cannot  assign  it  the  earliest  date,  as 
the  chair  shows  progress  through  a period  of  refinement 
to  a light  type. 

Occurrence:  Extremely  rare.  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
discover  such  chairs  out  of  collections.  The  writer  has 
not  seen  one  on  sale  for  several  years.  The  comb- 
backs  are  much  sought,  but  this  chair  is  still  more  a 
“find.” 

Owned  by  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  Bowles  Collection. 


i 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Nine-spindle,  Comb-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  Very  high.  The  comb  is  fine,  with  nine  spindles, 
the  ideal  number  in  this  type.  The  legs  are  turned  in 
the  early  Pennsylvania  style,  and  the  middle  stretcher 
is  good.  The  arms  are  simply  scrolled  on  the  outside. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Rare. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


The  Ideal  Windsor  Arm  Chair 

The  writer  has  never  seen  it.  In  a settee  the  best  ten  legger  in 
this  book  fairly  reaches  the  mark  of  an  ideal.  The  earliest  type  of 
bow  (otherwise  round  or  hoop)  back  side  chair  shown  is  also  ideal. 
Some  of  the  fan-backs  also  leave  little  to  be  desired.  But  the  ideal 
Windsor  Arm  Chair  should  have: 

1.  Beautiful,  heavy,  deep-cut  vase-turned  legs  with  stretchers  of 
a bold,  heavy  character  in  the  bulb,  and  with  a good  rake  to  the  legs. 

2.  A finely  saddled  seat,  of  large  size. 

3 . Arms  with  fine , sharp  ramp  and  with  large , well-carved  knuckles . 

4.  A nine-spindle  comb  running  up  through  a double  bow  and 
crowned  by  a finely  shaped  rail  with  nicely  spiraled  carved  ears. 


13 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Nine-spindle,  Comb-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Five  long  spindles  had  to  be  renewed;  the  sides 
of  the  feet  were  mended  where  rockers  had  been,  but 
legs  were  not  spliced,  being  of  original  length. 

Merit:  Very  high.  The  chair  is  large,  dignified,  and  finely 
symmetrical.  The  comb  is  high,  and  ears  are  excep- 
tionally fine.  The  seat  is  very  good;  the  turnings  of 
the  feet  terminate  like  those  of  the  love  seat  shown. 

The  “blunt  arrow”  style. 

Date:  Early,  Pennsylvanian. 

Occurrence:  Rare  of  this  size  and  symmetry. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newbury  port,  Mass. 

A notable  feature  of  this  chair  is  that  the  front  legs  are  set  in 
five  inches  from  the  side  of  the  seat,  which  is  more  than  twenty- 
five  inches  wide. 

Comparing  the  chair  opposite  with  that  on  the  previous  page, 
this  chair  is  somewhat  larger.  The  shaping  of  the  arms  here  is  the 
same  but  wider.  Both  are  chairs  of  much  dignity.  Notice  that  the 
spindles  here  are  not  set  so  near  the  edge  of  the  seat.  This  is  a 
merit  as  it  adds  to  strength.  Both  chairs  have  their  legs  well  and 
properly  set  in  on  the  seat.  In  the  previous  chair,  however,  they 
do  not  completely  pierce  the  seat.  Both  methods  were  followed. 
It  was  simpler  to  run  the  leg  away  through  the  seat. 


15 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced-back,  One-piece  Back  and 
Arm 

Condition:  Very  fine  and  original. 

Merit:  The  highest,  because  it  lacks  no  feature  whatever, 
of  its  style.  Practically  perfect  in  its  period  (except 
as  to  its  seven  spindles),  in  arms,  seat,  splay,  style,  and 
almost  perfect  in  the  leg  turnings.  If  the  smallest  part 
of  turning  in  the  vase  had  been  slightly  smaller,  we  could 
see  no  way  of  improvement.  An  earlier  chair  would 
have  heavier  bulbs. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare  in  a form  so  perfect. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newburyport,  Mass. 

This  chair,  like  all  of  its  style,  is  open  to  the  objection  that  the 
arm  almost  always  breaks  at  the  sharp  bend.  Yet  the  type  is  grace- 
ful and  light.  Of  course  the  arm  is  not  so  handsome  as  the  knuckle 
arm,  and  this  style  the  writer  has  never  seen  with  a knuckle. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  chairs  with  brace  backs  are  not  so  likely 
as  plain-backed  chairs  to  have  nine  plain  spindles,  because  the  two 
raked  bracing  spindles  require  space.  The  ideal  chair  would  have 
eight  or  nine  spindles  and  the  braces,  like  some  in  this  book. 


The  Comb-back  Chair 

This  variety  is  more  eagerly  sought  than  any  other,  because  it  com- 
bines many  lines  of  beauty,  and  by  the  fireside  it  speaks  much  of 
‘ ‘ old  forgotten  far  off  things.  ” We  may  be  sure  that  its  great  height 
of  back  was  used  to  drape  a shawl  to  serve  as  a protection  against 
draught,  and  that  it  succeeded  the  clumsy  settle,  which  was  diffi- 
cult to  move,  and  always  in  the  way.  The  literature  of  the  home 
will  not  be  complete  until  a proper  tale  is  written  centering  around 
a comb-back  chair. 


7 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Bow-back,  Knuckle-arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Good  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  Moderate.  This  type  is  good,  the  weight  is  slight, 
and  so  easily  moved.  The  turnings  are  good  but  not  fine; 
the  knuckles  and  the  spindles  well  shaped.  The  seat, 
as  often  in  this  type,  is  too  shallow  from  front  to  back, 
as  if  for  use  at  a dining  table.  The  seat  lacks  a chamfer 
on  the  under  side  and  so  appears  heavy,  and  the  spindles 
are  too  few. 

Date:  Early. 

Owned  (but  not  on  view)  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Fram- 
ingham, Mass. 

Chairs  of  this  style  are  very  common  without  the  knuckle  and 
are  the  lightest  of  the  arm  chairs,  as  well  as  the  strongest  for  their 
weight.  This  is  probably  what  the  old  inventories  refer  to  as  the 
“sack-backt”  chair. 

The  spindles  were  not  in  the  early  period  turned  in  a lathe,  but 
were  shaved  in  a vise  or  whittled  by  holding  in  the  hand  and  work- 
ing each  way.  Hence  was  naturally  developed  the  bulb  in  the 
spindles,  so  marked  in  this  example.  The  bulb  necessarily  came 
below  the  middle  as  a long,  slender  taper  was  required  above,  to 
slide  through  the  arm  rail.  The  type  once  established  was  then 
used  for  side  chairs. 

The  knuckle  was  almost  always  formed  by  glueing  a piece  to  the 
under  side  of  the  rail.  This  method  was  more  economical  of  wood 
than  to  work  the  knuckle  out  of  the  solid. 

In  this  particular  chair  the  arm  rail  is  bent  and  therefore  small* 
It  requires,  to  be  in  good  taste,  small  knuckles,  such  as  on  page  24. 
The  dainty  little  knuckles  are  wonderfully  attractive.  The  arm 
ends  are^also  sometimes  wrought  in  this  type  as  three  open  fingers. 


19 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Comb-back,  Heavy-arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Feet  pieced. 

Merit:  High,  for  general  appearance  and  grace.  The  back 
and  arms  are  excellent,  but  the  gap  between  the  long 
and  short  spindle  is  unnecessary,  and  the  under  body 
turnings  are  not  choice.  Observe  that  the  knuckle  is 
all  cut  on  the  thin  arm,  and  lacks  the  fullness  of  the 
preceding  knuckle. 

Date:  Early  to  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  32  Green  Street,  Newbury- 
port,  Mass. 


Footstools 

The  Windsor  type,  or  “stick  leg,”  was  well  adapted  for  foot- 
stools. The  earliest  simple  stools  in  America  apparently  had  a 
boot-jack  end  leg  made  in  one  piece.  But  with  the  Windsor  style 
came  the  stool,  which  was  either  round  topped  or  oval,  with  a 
thinned  edge  to  give  a light  effect.  Footstools  were  in  very  com- 
mon use  partly  as  convenient  seats  for  children,  but  principally 
because  the  floors  were  so  cold  that  as  soon  as  one  sat  down  a stool 
was  the  first  thought.  The  cellars  were  cold  of  necessity,  to  pre- 
serve the  winter’s  food. 

Little  opening  for  artistic  designing  was  afforded  in  the  short- 
legged stool,  but  one  of  a real  udder  shape  is  highly  amusing.  The 
cow’s  udder  was  the  obvious  model,  and  with  reason,  for  the  legs 
got  thickness  of  wood  where  they  needed  it  and  the  stool  was  else- 
where lightened. 


21 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Bow-back  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  Very  high  for  its  type.  The  turnings  are  very 
good;  possibly  not  so  massive  as  the  very  earliest,  but 
closely  approaching  them.  The  stretchers  are  the 
earliest  sort.  The  knuckle  is  very  handsomely  carved. 
The  seat  is  inches  high  in  front.  The  back  44^ 
inches  high. 

Peculiar  in  the  feature  of  stopping  the  arms  on  the  bow 
and  having  no  arm  rail  to  run  around  the  chair.  This 
of  course  adds  to  comfort  by  affording  the  long  spring 
of  the  back  spindles  as  in  the  side  chair.  The  feature 
is  shown  in  several  instances  in  this  book  on  fan-back 
arm  chairs,  but  this  is  a rare  feature  in  the  bow  back 
with  arm  and  no  arm  rail.  The  method  of  construc- 
tion, however,  is  not  secure.  The  junction  of  bow  and 
arm  must  be  weak  unless  as  elsewhere  in  this  book  the 
bow  is  enlarged  to  receive  the  arm.  One  also  feels  that 
nine  back  spindles  instead  of  seven  would  materially 
enhance  the  chair’s  merit,  for  in  that  case  the  spindles 
could  have  been  a little  lighter.  The  arms  also  lack 
the  grace  of  a ramp,  and  are  almost  straight. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Extremely  rare. 

Owned  by  Clement  C.  Littlefield,  Newfields,  N.H. 


23 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Light  Comb-back 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  Moderate.  The  turnings  of  underbody  are  good; 
also  those  of  front  spindles;  there  are  lightly  carved 
arms.  The  comb  is  not  very  good.  Seat  good. 

Date:  Early  to  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Of  only  moderate  rarity. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  32  Green  St.,  Newbury- 
port,  Mass. 

The  object  of  a light  arm,  all  the  knuckles  being  made  of  one 
piece,  was  to  lighten  the  whole  chair.  Windsors  derive  one  of  their 
merits  from  their  easy  portability.  This  chair  was  evidently  de- 
signed by  one  who  lacked  time  or  skill  or  taste  to  form  a spiral  ear, 
or  to  give  the  spindles  a nice  contour.  The  spindles  of  this  date 
begin  to  be  turned  rather  than  cut  by  hand.  The  back  rest  of  the 
lathe,  an  invention  made  about  this  time,  rendered  turning  of  small 
spindles  possible.  But  the  process  of  turning  a small  long  spindle 
is  very  long  and  expensive.  Hence  even  after  the  back  rest  of  the 
lathe  came  into  use  the  spindles  were  not  always  turned.  In  chairs 
of  this  type  the  arm  rail  is  bent  of  hickory  or  white  oak. 

It  is  clear  from  such  chairs  as  this  that  the  maker  sometimes 
forgot  the  obligation  to  make  a thing  beautiful,  and  kept  himself 
to  sheer  utility  so  far  as  the  comb  is  concerned.  We  must  admit 
that  a long-eared  comb  was  an  additional  thing  to  rim  against. 
But  once  seen  a good  comb  is  not  to  be  dispensed  with.  We  incline 
to  the  notably  , true  sentiment  that  we  can  get  on  without  necessi- 
ties, but  not  without  luxuries!  It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
how  the  curved  and  lengthened  ear  happened  to  be  developed.  Is 
it  possible  it  was  found  a convenient  hook  on  which  to  hang  a 
“Betty  lamp”?  The  writer  finds  such  a lamp  will  give  just  the 
right  light  so  hung,  while  hung  inside  the  ear,  as  would  be  neces- 
sary here,  it  would  be  too  much  behind  one. 


25 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Open-hand  Scroll  Arm  Bow-back 

Condition:  Two  of  the  legs  are  new;  the  other  two  are 
pieced. 

Merit:  Moderate.  All  the  features  are  very  good,  but  not 
the  best.  It  would  seem  that  makers  were  afraid  to 
cut  deeply  in  turning,  for  fear  of  weakening  the  leg. 
The  obvious  answer  is  that  they  could  have  made  the 
bulbs  larger,  thus  securing  the  same  relative  values. 
The  nine  long  spindles  are  well  placed,  and  sprung  to 
fan  shape. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence  of  the  open  hand  carving  on  arm  is  rare. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  32  Green  Street,  Newbury- 
port,  Mass. 

In  this  chair  the  spindles  are  turned,  and  are  too  heavy.  Per- 
haps they  were  made  before  the  lathe  rest  came  in,  and  could  only 
be  turned  heavily.  The  more  spindles  in  a chair  the  more  it  gets  a 
cozy,  closed-in  appearance  and  the  more  comfortable  the  back  is. 
This  chair  seat  assumes  a nearly  true  oval.  In  case  a ramp  or 
curved  side  incut  is  made  in  the  seat,  in  front  of  the  last  spindle,  the 
spindles  are  crowded  back  at  the  bottom  and  slant  forward  more  at 
the  top,  thus  producing  the  “short  arm”  Windsor. 

When  the  seat  is  quite  shallow  the  chair  admits  of  being  brought 
closer  to  a table.  Yet  it  is  more  of  a support  than  a seat  and  would 
indicate  that  the  occupant  was  not  supposed  to  linger  long  at  table. 
In  such  a chair  “fifteen  minutes  are  enough”  as  a notable  authority 
has  said  regarding  the  time  of  all  meals  but  dinner.  The  arms 
were  designed  to  slip  just  under  the  edge  of  the  table. 


27 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Low-back  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  High  for  the  type.  The  seat  is  especially  well 
shaped  and  the  chair  is  large.  The  legs  are  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania sort,  and  while  inferior  to  the  Northern  turn- 
ing are  the  best  the  writer  has  seen  of  their  kind.  The 
blunt  arrow  termination  is  especially  good.  We  could 
wish  that  the  arm  had  been  carved,  but  this  seems  not 
to  have  been  done  in  chairs  of  this  kind.  The  back  is 
peculiar  and  suggests  the  possible  origin  of  the  modem 
office  chair.  The  height  of  this  piece  is  remarkable  and 
of  course  adds  to  the  ease  of  the  chair. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  E.  R.  Lemon,  Wayside  Inn,  So.  Sudbury,  Mass. 


Material  of  Windsors 

A Windsor  chair  is  composed  of  several  kinds  of  wood.  The 
merit  consists  not  in  the  kind  of  wood,  but  in  its  shape.  The  ob- 
vious reason  for  using  pine  for  the  seat  is  that  it  was  very  easily 
worked  and  neither  warped,  swelled,  or  shrunk  so  much  as  other 
woods.  The  seat  should  always  be  in  one  piece,  and  never  glued 
up  of  two  parts.  The  legs  and  stretchers  are  usually  maple;  the 
bow  (or  hoop),  the  top-rail,  and  spindles  were  hickory,  white  oak, 
or  ash.  The  arm-rail  was  maple  when  heavy  and  sawed;  when  light 
and  bent  it  was  of  the  same  wood  as  the  bow.  The  comb  was 
hickory  or  oak,  and  rarely  ash,  which  is  not  so  good  as  it  splinters 
too  readily. 


29 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Bow-back  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  Moderate.  The  bow  is  high  enough  to  be  rather 
more  graceful  than  most  bow-back  chairs,  and  the 
seven  long  spindles  have  a fine  fan-curve.  The  turn- 
ings are  fairly  good.  One  could  wish  the  maker  had 
planned  nine  spindles  instead  of  seven  to  run  to  the 
bow.  It  would  have  added  much  grace,  and  avoided 
the  lack  of  corelation  where  the  first  short  spindle 
stops.  A common  omission. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Common  except  for  the  finely  sprung  spindles. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  32 
Green  St.,  Newburyport,  Mass. 


Marks  of  Age 

The  earlier  chairs  never  have  the  long,  light  spindles  turned. 
Examination  shows  that  every  spindle  is  shaped  by  hand,  though 
perhaps  polished  in  a lathe.  Therefore  many  a fine  chair  shows 
variation  in  the  size  (though  not  in  the  style)  of  the  spindles. 

These  long,  light  spindles  in  early  chairs  never  have  any  ornament, 
except  one  slight  bulb.  They  could  not  be  made  with  two  or  more 
bulbs,  therefore  bamboo-shaped  spindles  are  always  found  on 
later  chairs. 

Recent  investigation  shows  that  even  the  lathe  rest  will  not 
make|  possible  the  turning  of  the  lightest  and  longest  spindles. 
HenceUn  modern  reproductions  they  are  never  seen.  A lathe  with 
a ringfrest,  however,  is  capable  of  making  the  longest  and  lightest 
work,  but  in  modern  factories  it  is  “too  much  trouble”  or  expense 
to  use  it. 


31 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Heavy-rail,  Nine-spindle  Comb-back 

Condition:  The  stretchers,  while  very  old,  are  not  original. 
One  front  spindle  is  new,  and  one  long  spindle. 

Merit:  High.  The  proportions  are  fine,  but  the  ears  are 
not  so  good  as  the  carved  type.  The  style  of  the  legs 
is  the  ball  termination.  A large,  high  chair  of  much 
dignity. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Wentworth-Gardner  House, 
Portsmouth,  N.H. 


Painting 

A brightly  shining  Windsor  is  offensive.  The  early  finish  was 
often  the  old  Indian  red.  This  was  more  a stain  than  a paint.  A 
modern  substitute  for  it,  under  that  name,  is  obtainable. 

The  old  Indian  red  was-  used  on  panel  work,  chests,  settles,  and 
chairs  with  great  impartiality  and  generous  abandon.  It  is  not 
bright  and  supplies  a good  finish  today. 

Red  paint  is  also  a popular  old  finish.  There  was  not  too  much 
color  in  our  ancestors’  lives  and  they  loved  to  make  it  appear  in 
their  furniture. 

Dark  green  seems  to  have  been  the  most  popular  color  and  most 
satisfactory.  Windsors  are  in  old  advertisements  often  mentioned 
as  green.  It  is  a very  desirable  color.  But  light  green  is  perhaps 
the  worst  of  all,  except  white. 


33 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Heavy,  Nine-spindle  Comb-back 

Windsor 

Condition:  Now  fine,  but  the  seat  has  been  filled  and  the 
feet  restored. 

Merit:  Moderate.  A slight  spring  in  the  long  spindles  is 
graceful.  A very  large  chair,  of  origin  south  of  New 
England.  The  legs  lack  sufficient  rake.  The  bottoms 
are  in  the  right  place  but  the  tops  should  have  been 
set  in  a little.  The  arms  are  plain.  The  style  of  the 
legs  and  stretcher  is  unusual  and  not  especially  meri- 
torious. Somewhat  lacking  in  grace. 

Peculiar  in  the  buttons  at  the  centers  of  the  very  fine 
ears.  These  buttons  are  raised,  an  effect  obtained  by 
turning  separately  and  inserting  them  on  a stem  or 
post  in  a hole  which  goes  through  the  comb. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Unusual,  buttons  extremely  so. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Webb-Washington  House, 
89  Main  Street,  Wethersfield,  Conn. 


The  Finish  of  the  Windsor 

The  natural  wood,  a handsome  finish,  was  unusual,  but  examples 
are  known.  There  is  no  objection  to  it,  surely,  in  refinishing  an  old 
chair  that  must  be  refinished,  for  the  wood  color  is  very  homelike. 
But  the  patience  and  expense  required  to  clean  an  old  Windsor  are 
great,  and  often  are  more  than  the  piece  is  worth.  The  mechanic 
may  say  what  he  will,  but  no  kind  of  paint  remover  will  work  with- 
out assistance  by  the  elbow.  In  the  fine  creases  of  the  turnings  and 
elsewhere  carelessness  is  damaging.  A brush  should  be  used  for 
cleaning. 


35 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Comb-back  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine. 

Merit:  Very  high.  Comparing  it  with  the  following  chair 
the  seat  is  finer,  having  the  side  ramp.  In  other  re- 
spects it  is  an  even  thing  between  them.  The  legs 
could  be  somewhat  better  as  in  the  following  example. 
It  will  be  seen  that  owing  to  the  shape  of  the  seat  the 
front  arm  was  set  on  a sharp  rake,  in  pleasing  contrast 
to  the  leg  below. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  New  York. 


Warning 

“Photographic  accuracy”  is  a term  used  only  by  persons  who 
do  not  understand  a lens,  which  by  nature  always  exaggerates,  and 
when  the  object  pictured  is  near  the  disproportionate  enlargement 
of  the  foreground  is  very  great.  As  a consequence,  in  this  and  all 
other  furniture  books,  the  seats  and  front  parts  of  a chair  are  shown 
much  too  large  relatively,  and  there  is  no  way  of  avoiding  this 
result.  The  student  should,  therefore,  remember  to  imagine  the 
comb  backs  larger  than  they  are  shown.  A chair  pictured  from  the 
rear  appears  to  be  nearly  all  back. 


Style 

An  important  matter  of  style  is  the  rake  of  the  legs,  otherwise 
called  splay  or  slant.  A Windsor  without  this  rake  is  graceless.  No 
other  type  of  chair  has  splayed  legs,  because  in  the  Windsor 
only  does  the  leg  go  into  a hole  in  the  seat.  The  bulbs  in  the  side 
stretchers  were  no  doubt  formed  to  give  greater  strength  at  the 
junction  with  the  cross  stretcher,  but  the  cross  stretcher  itself  was 
then  supplied  with  a bulb  because  its  shape  was  discovered  to  be 
graceful,  and  was  probably  first  made  bulbous  through  the  acci- 
dent of  using  an  extra  side  stretcher  for  the  cross  stretcher. 


37 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Comb-back,  Heavy-Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Original,  except  for  pieced  feet  and  seat. 

Merit:  High.  Were  the  legs  a little  better,  the  chair  would 
stand  in  the  highest  class  possible,  as  most  of  the  other 
features  are  very  fine  indeed.  The  seat  is  above  twenty- 
one  inches  wide.  The  arm  chairs  have  a height  from 
seat  to  rail  of  nine  to  ten  inches. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Rare  with  so  many  good  features. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Wentworth-Gardner  House, 
Portsmouth,  N.  H. 


The  Comb 

It  is  shaped  by  steaming  and  clamping  to  a form  to  give  it  the 
proper  concavity,  and  the  more  the  better.  After  it  has-  become 
set  it  is  finished  and  adjusted  to  its  place  on  the  spindles.  But  it 
appears  that  some  old  combs  did  not  get  or  keep  the  proper  curva- 
ture. Nothing  adds  so  much  to  a chair  for  so  little  trouble  as  a 
finely  curved,  delicately  scrolled  back.  The  upper  edge  should  be 
thinned  almost  to  a knife  edge.  No  wood  is  left  in  a Windsor  ex- 
cept strength  requires  it. 

The  comb  is  otherwise  called  the  top  rail,  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  lower  or  arm  rail.  Its  thickness,  where  the  spindles  enter  it, 
is  often  not  more  than  a half  inch,  and  never  in  good  chairs  more 
than  five  eighths  of  an  inch.  It  was,  therefore,  a delicate  piece  of 
joinery  to  bore  the  holes  for  the  spindles.  It  is  clear  why  the 
toughest  woods  like  hickory  were  used  for  the  rail. 

Taste  differs  in  choosing  between  a somewhat  heavy  and  rugged 
comb  and  a comb  quite  narrow.  Of  course  the  comb  must  keep 
its  strength  by  avoiding  the  cutting  of  deep  holes  for  spindles. 


39 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Triple-back  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  The  fourth,  that  is  the  top  back,  is  a later 
addition  as  appears  by  the  great  inequality  in  the 
spacing  of  its  spindles,  not  seen  in  the  rest  of  the  chair ; 
by  the  fact  that  these  spindles  are  not  a continuation 
of  the  long  spindles  of  the  chair;  and  by  the  fact  that 
the  third  back,  that  is  the  one  under  the  added  back, 
has  a scroll  top  and  was  therefore  clearly  the  original 
top  of  the  chair,  the  fourth  back  being  coarser  and  out 
of  harmony.  This  fourth  back  makes  the  chair  top 
heavy,  especially  as  the  feet  were  cut  down  to  add  the 
rockers. 

Merit:  Nevertheless  high  as  it  combines  the  round  and 
comb-backs,  has  nine  spindles  in  the  proper  comb ; has 
carved  “open  hand”  arms.  The  turnings  are  poor. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  George  Plympton,  Walpole,  Mass. 

One  could  wish  to, see  this  chair  restored  to  its  original  condition 
by  removing  the  fourth  back  and  piecing  the  feet.  It  is  so  rare 
that  all  its  merits  ought  to  be  preserved.  The  object  of  the  very 
long  original  comb  was  to  give  something  like  a wing-chair  shape, 
but  the  extension  of  the  comb  sidewise  is  not  graceful,  supported 
as  it  is  by  extra,  inharmonious  spindles. 


Colors  of  Windsors 

Black,  not  so  common  originally,  is  a most  excellent  finish,  for  it 
not  only  covers  a multitude  of  sins,  but  is  harmonious  with  any 
other  furniture.  As  there  are  no  heavy,  broad  lines  in  Windsors, 
black  is  not  somber,  and  will  be  found  the  most  satisfactory  of  all 
for  modern  finish. 

Yellow  was  not  uncommon,  especially  in  children’s  chairs. 

Brown  and  even  drab  are  found.  But  white  should  be  avoided. 
Not  a good  word  can  be  said  for  it.  It  is  bad  taste  through  and 
through.  The  fad  for  it,  to  match  chamber  furniture,  is  inexcusable. 


4i 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Double  Comb-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original,  unless  the  little  ears  are 
later  carving,  which  is  probable.  The  upholstery  is,  of 
course,  an  addition. 

Merit:  Very  high.  The  treatment  is  dainty  in  the  back, 
and  very  suggestive  of  what  Windsors  are  capable  of 
being  made.  For  instance,  a nine-spindle  back  could 
have  carried  the  upper  comb  on  five  spindles.  Turn- 
ings are  only  fair,  except  stretchers,  which  are  very 
good.  Another  peculiarity  of  this  chair  is  a pleasing 
vertical  concavity  of  the  back,  such  that  it  is  even 
more  attractive  sidewise  than  in  front. 

Date:  Early  to  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Extremely  rare. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


Best  Colors 

To  give  in  another  form  a color  scheme,  one  would  do  well  to 
use  green  for  porch  and  country  house  use;  black  for  dining  room  or 
living  room;  yellow  for  the  nursery  or  simple  chambers,  and  natural 
finish  anywhere.  A heavy  layer  of  paint,  on  an  otherwise  fine  chair, 
sometimes  obliterates  its  fine  lines.  It  is  best  to  clean  carefully, 
when  two  coats  well  rubbed  down  produce  a very  fine  effect. 


43 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Triple-Back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fair;  feet  pieced. 

Merit : High.  One  comb  rising  above  the  double  back  is  a 
feature  of  marked  merit,  although  it  is  not  well  shaped. 
The  spindles  and  stretchers  are  fine,  legs  poor  and 
should  have  been  tapered  more  in  their  restoration. 

Date : Early  middle  period. 

Occurrence : Extremely  rare  owing  to  the  triple  back. 

Owned  by  the  City  of  New  York  in  the  Old  City  Hall. 

The  maker  of  this  chair  started  with  a good  idea,  but  failed  to 
carry  it  out.  Probably  there  is  somewhere  a chair  with  a better 
comb  and  turnings  of  a higher  character. 


The  Joinery  of  Windsors 

While  the  cabinet  maker  disdains  a Windsor,  a very  large  degree 
of  skill  was  required  to  make  a chair  which  had  style  and  would 
retain  its  solidity.  Like  other  turned  chairs,  its  legs  were  sometimes 
made  of  green  wood.  The  stretchers  were  dry.  The  end  of  the 
stretcher  to  be  driven  into  the  leg  was  formed  with  a hollowed 
groove.  Thus  when  it  was  driven  home,  and  the  green  leg  shrank 
around  the  bulb,  a joint  was  formed  that  could  not  be  separated 
without  breaking  the  wood.  Thus  a well-made  Windsor,  though 
light,  was  far  more  rigid  than  the  Jacobean  chairs  which,  however 
handsome,  have  mostly  broken,  and  those  that  remain  incline  to  be 
treacherously  weak. 


45 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Comb-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Legs  are  cut  short. 

Merit:  High.  The  turnings  and  the  seat  are  good,  and 
the  simply  scrolled  arm  has  a good  outward  ramp. 
But  the  peculiar  merit  of  the  chair  is  the  very  grace- 
fully set  back.  The  comb  is  deeply  concaved,  nearly  a 
half  circle,  a feature  difficult  to  show  in  a photograph. 
The  spindle  effect  is  very  good.  The  back  legs  are  set 
too  near  the  front  legs. 

Date : Early. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare,  with  a back  as  good. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  32  Green  Street,  Newbury- 
port,  Mass. 

If  the  Windsor  seat  was  green  it  shrunk  with  the  green  leg,  but 
this  point  was  the  one  place  in -the  chair  where  green  and  dry  could 
not  be  matched  together. 

The  spindles,  of  course,  were  dry.  This  made  them  rigid  when 
green  seat  and  bow  shrunk  around  them;  and  a well-made  chair 
was  like  one  solid,  airy  shape  of  wood,  so  well  done  that  many  are 
without  a loose  joint  today,  after  the  use  and  abuse  of  four  or  five 
generations. 

The  leg,  where  it  did  not  completely  penetrate  the  seat,  was 
sometimes  rendered  secure  in  this  manner:  A hole  was  bored,  in- 
creasing in  size  with  the  depth.  A fox-tail  wedge  was  merely  started 
and  as  the  leg  was  driven  home  the  wedge  penetrated  and  spread 
the  end  to  conform  with  the  hole. 


47 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Comb-back,  Short-arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  High,  owing  to  the  remarkable  grace  and  good 
taste  in  which  one  part  falls  in  with  another.  The 
comb  is  especially  good,  with  finely  out-sprung  spin- 
dles, seven  in  number,  all  that  a chair  of  this  small 
sort  can  have  in  the  comb.  The  arm  suggests  the 
English,  and  is  plain.  The  size  is  moderate  — perhaps 
a “lady”  chair.  The  leg  turnings  are  fair;  not  deep 
enough;  but  the  stretchers  are  satisfactory.  The  seat 
is  graceful. 

Date:  Uncertain,  but  early  or  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Rare. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


The  Windsor  Seat 

The  saddle  of  the  early  chairs  always  drooped  away  from  the 
center  all  the  way  to  the  side,  and  was  obviously  designed  for  a 
male  occupant  to  sprawl  in.  The  later  chair  had  a not  ungraceful 
seat  with  a curve  dropping  away  from  the  saddle  and  rising  again 
at  the  sides.  The  above  remarks  apply,  of  course,  to  side  chairs. 

Early  arm  chairs  in  which  spindles  were  set  all  the  way  around 
to  the  front,  settee  fashion,  could  not,  of  course,  be  cut  away  saddle 
fashion  at  the  sides.  Where  the  arm  was  short,  or  the  front  spindles 
were  back  of  the  side  ramp,  the  seat  preserved  even  in  arm  chairs 
its  primitive  shape.  At  the  back  and  the  sides  so  far  as  the  spindles 
continued  the  seat  was  left  full  thickness.  But  as  soon  as  the 
spindles  ceased  at  the  sides  and  in  front  the  seat  was  chamfered 
away  on  the  under  side  in  a long  slant  to  give  the  effect  of  lightness, 
and  in  fine  specimens  the  chamfer  of  the  saddle  above  meets  that 
underneath,  in  a feather  edge. 


49 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Comb-back,  Short-arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  Moderate.  Turnings  odd.  Comb  good  and  un- 
usually large  for  the  chair. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Rare. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 

One  will  do  well  to  compare  the  three  pictures  last  given.  All 
show  chairs  of  similar  design  yet  each  with  merits  of  its  own.  The 
one  on  page  46  has  the  poorest  base  but  the  finest  top  — in  fact 
an  ideal  top  of  this  sort.  That  on  page  48  shows  the  best  seat  and 
best-shaped  spindles.  On  this  page  the  chair  has  not  the  graceful 
top  of  either  of  the  others,  yet  it  is  rarely  flaring  and  interesting. 


The  Height  of  the  Seat 

Eighteen  inches  from  the  top  of  the  seat,  at  the  highest  point  of 
the.  saddle  in  a vertical  line  to  the  floor,  is  good  style.  This  height 
corresponded  with  the  height  of  late  Jacobean  and  Pilgrim  chairs 
which  the  Windsor  supplanted,  from  1725  to  1750.  The  height  was 
gradually  cut  almost  to  seventeen  inches.  In  measuring  about  a 
thousand  old  Windsors  only  one  was  found  under  seventeen  inches 
without  evidences  that  the  legs  were  cut  down. 

Since  this  handbook  was  begun  the  writer  has  obtained  a side 
chair,  not  cut  down,  and  yet  only  fourteen  inches  and  a fraction, 
in  height.  It  has  blunt  arrow  turnings,  a fine  rake  of  the  legs,  and 
is  admirably  fitted  for  a small  person. 


5i 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced-back,  Bow,  Mahogany-arm 

Windsor 

Condition:  Fine;  slight  cut  on  feet. 

Merit : High.  The  seat  is  excellent  and  of  the  early  type. 
The  turnings,  however,  of  the  spindles  are  done  in  a 
lathe  and  not  by  hand.  Turnings  of  legs  good,  not  the 
best. 

Date : Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Unusual  in  so  good  a form. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newbury  port,  Mass. 

This  chair  never  appears  in  the  generous  bigness  of  the  great 
old  comb-backs,  but  is  very  convenient  for  moving  about.  It  shows 
the  refinement  of  fanciful  turnings  in  the  spindles,  which  never 
appears  in  early  examples.  This  type  of  concaved  turning  below 
the  vase  is  said  to  indicate  a Rhode  Island  origin,  but  the  good 
effect  is  here  lost  by  the  cutting  off  of  the  feet. 

It  is  a curious  question  how  the  spindles  of  this  chair  were  turned 
as  the  outside  ones  in  the  back  were  pipe  stems.  They  could  only 
have  been  done  by  a patient  person  who  was  willing  to  support 
his  work  by  at  least  two  back  rests.  The  brace  spindles  are  too 
small  to  be  of  much  use.  Yet  there  is  so  much  springiness  of  the 
back  that  it  has  held  firmly  together.  The  attachment  of  the  arms 
to  the  bow  in  this  style  is  not  structurally  good,  there  being  no 
manner  of  holding  the  end  wood  securely. 


53 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Round-back  Arm  Chair  with  Comb 

Condition:  Rockers  not  original.  Seat  strengthened  by 
battens;  one  arm  restored. 

Merit:  Chiefly  in  its  peculiarities.  The  arms  carry  a con- 
tinuation of  the  bead  on  the  bow.  The  comb  is  arched, 
and  nearly  follows  the  line  of  the  bow  back.  The 
spindles  are  brought  down  to  a small  diameter  below 
the  swell.  Turnings,  bamboo  style. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Rare,  as  regards  the  shape  of  arms  and  bow. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Newport,  R.  I. 

Chairs  having  a comb  above  a bow  like  the  above  are  popularly 
sought.  The  rockers  seem  not  to  be  an  objection  to  many  collectors. 
But  the  tendency  is  now  away  from  rockers.  No  original  rocker 
appears  in  this  book. 


Pitfalls  for  the  Novice 

Windsors  have  been  little  studied  and  even  the  dealers  may 
honestly  recommend  as  good  what  is  not  so.  But  it  is  noticeable 
that  no  good  arm  chair  remains  long  on  sale  if  the  price  is  at  all 
reasonable.  One  should  look  very  carefully  to  learn  if  the  piece  is 
too  low,  or  if  the  feet  are  pieced.  Also  whether  the  arm,  especially 
in  the  one-piece-bo w-and-arm,  is  not  split  or  mended.  Every  spindle 
should  be  tested  top  and  bottom.  Beware  of  new  paint.  It  covers 
something  that  detracts  from  value.  See  if  the  stretchers  agree  in 
style;  also  the  spindles.  A haggled  chair  may  have  value.  Some 
dealers,  especially  those  remote  from  centers,  are  not  cognizant  of 
good  points  and  will  sell  at  low  prices,  but  it  is  hardly  safe  to  pre- 
sume on  the  ignorance  of  a dealer. 


55 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Comb-back,  no  Outside  Spindles 

Condition:  Apparently  original. 

Merit:  Moderate,  but  the  chair  is  very  interesting  be- 
cause it  shows  a memory  of  the  English  style  of  arm. 
The  maker,  however,  adopted  the  conventional  Amer- 
ican scroll  on  the  outside  of  the  arm  and  the  rest  of  the 
chair  is  American.  It,  of  course,  needs  more  spindles. 

Date:  Early  to  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  In  this  odd  form  very  rare. 

Owned  by  Mrs.  Annie  B.  Hunter,  Freehold,  N.  J. 


Oddities 

The  author  has  shown  no  chair  with  the  cabriole  leg  because  it 
does  not  come  under  the  proper  definition  of  Windsor.  The  cab- 
riole leg  appeared  so  freely  in  Dutch  and  Chippendale  furniture 
and  in  such  perfection  that  it  appears  a misfortune  to  place  a de- 
praved form  of  it  on  a Windsor  chair,  while  an  elegant  form  would 
clearly  spoil  the  rest  of  the  chair.  Thus  also  Windsors  are  found 
with  pommel  feet,  that  is,  a knob  termination  projecting  in  front 
of  the  true  line  of  the  leg.  This  is  not  ungraceful,  but  it  cannot  be 
turned,  and  is  clearly  an  adaption  from  the  Lancaster  (English) 
foot. 

All  such  oddities  have  an  interest,  and  perhaps  that  interest  is 
# greater  than  it  should  be.  A mere  oddity  has  a commercial  but 
not  an  artistic  value.  A departure  from  style  is  agreeable;  not  a 
departure  from  good  taste. 


57 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced,  Fan-back  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  Very  high,  and  the  highest  of  its  type.  The  seat 
is  wide,  the  carving  and  out-curve  of  the  arms  fine. 
One  could  wish  two  or  three  more  spindles  had  been 
added  in  the  back.  The  bracing  spindles,  if  set  a little 
nearer  together  at  the  top,  would  have  allowed  more 
regular  spindles.  It  has  back  side  spindles  of  very 
large  size,  increasing  all  the  way  to  the  seat,  and  afford- 
ing strength,  but  somewhat  suggestive  of  the  need  of  a 
larger  lower  body.  The  tongue  which  supports  the  two 
raking  and  bracing  spindles  is  mortised  into  the  seat, 
instead  of  being  as  usual  of  the  same  piece  of  wood. 
This  is  logical  and  necessary  across  the  grain. 

Date : Early  to  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Rare. 

Owned  by  William  F.  Hubbard,  Hartford,  Conn.  The 
writer  also  owns,  at  the  Webb  House,  Wethersfield,  a 
chair  very  similar. 


Mahogany  Arms 

This  feature  indicates  a middle  to  late  period,  and  the  arm  always 
scrolls  up  and  down,  modern  fashion,  rather  than  outward.  Ob- 
viously the  mahogany  arm  was  designed  to  contrast  in  color  with 
the  rest  of  the  chair,  which  could  not,  therefore,  have  been  finished 
in  natural  color. 


59 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Fan-back  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Feet  pieced;  otherwise  original. 

Merit:  Very  high.  Leg  turning  only  fair;  back  outside 
spindles  fine. 

Peculiar  in  the  rather  graceless  straightness  of  the  arms, 
in  spite  of  their  carving.  But  peculiarly  meritorious  in 
the  handsome  squaring  of  the  outside  back  spindles. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Rare. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  32 
Green  St.,  Newbury  port,  Mass. 


Rockers 

We  have  heard  of  original  Windsor  rockers,  but,  possibly  with 
one  exception,  have  not  seen  them.  Elsewhere  remarks  are  made 
as  to  the  means  of  knowing  that  rockers  are  not  original.  As  it  is 
no  longer  good  form  to  rock  and  for  that  matter  never  could  have 
been,  we  need  not  grieve  over  the  false  Windsor  rocker,  except  to 
regret  that  so  many  thousand  perfectly  good  Windsors  have  been 
spoiled  by  adding  rockers. 

In  modern  Windsors  rockers  usually  omit  the  stretchers  which 
form  a clumsy  combination  with  the  rocker. 

Undoubtedly  the  “Boston  rocker,”  was  the  most  popular  chair 
for  common  use.  The  spindles  were  made  on  a lathe  with  a ring 
and  follower,  or  a back  gauge. 


61 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Short-arm,  Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  The  balls  of  the  feet  are  partly  worn  off,  and 
the  middle  stretcher  is  not  original,  lacking  the  bulb. 
Otherwise  very  good. 

Merit:  High  because  of  its  peculiarities,  and  its  transi- 
tional type  from  the  English  Windsor.  It  suffers  from 
a very  heavy  seat. 

Peculiar  in  the  remarkable  middle  spindle  which  has  two 
sharply  marked  bulbs,  the  lower  one  probably  being 
designed  to  make  the  sitter  keep  an  upright  position. 
The  chair  shows  ideas  of  grace  which  in  this  spindle 
perhaps  forgot  the  idea  of  comfort.  The  spindle  sug- 
gests that  the  maker  had  in  his  mind  a reminiscence  of 
the  splat  in  English  Windsors.  The  outside  back 
spindles  are  very  graceful  and  have  a very  rare  turned 
(instead  of  squared)  enlargement  to  receive  the  arms. 

Date:  Early,  Pennsylvanian  with  English  influence? 

Occurrence:  Perhaps  unique. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


The  “Boston  rocker”  is  the  middle  of  last-century  degradation 
of  the  Windsor.  It  was  and  is  even  now  extremely  common.  But 
the  machine-made  seat  lacked  reason  and  the  rail  was  bold  and 
graceless.  It  was  a purely  commercial  article,  made  to  sell  at  a low 
price. 


63 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Short-arm,  Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Good,  but  rockers  are  not  original,  and  con- 
nection between  arms  and  outside  back  spindles  is  not 
so  secure  as  it  should  be  owing  to  lack  of  size  in  those 
spindles. 

Merit:  Moderate.  The  seat  is  almost  round  front  and 
back.  The  arms  have  a pleasant  rapid  outward  sweep, 
rather  away  from  a sitter.  The  chair  is  small ; turnings 
poor. 

Date:  Middle  to  late  period. 

Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  32 
Green  Street,  Newbury  port,  Mass. 


The  “ Slipper”  Chair 

The  so-called  “slipper”  chair,  which  many  dealers  have  a way 
of.  slipping  off  on  their  customers,  had  an  existence,  as  the  writer 
owns  one.  The  fact  that  there  was  such  a chair  has  merely  given 
an  excuse  for  pretending  that  the  particular  Windsor  on  sale  has 
not  been  cut  down. 

Nor  will  it  answer  to  maintain  that  the  legs  have  worn  off.  Not 
much  more  than  a half  of  an  inch  can  be  allowed  for  such  wear,  for 
maple  is  hard  and  Windsors  have  not  existed  for  centuries. 


65 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Bow-back  Windsor  with  Arms 

Condition:  Perfect  and  original. 

Merit:  High.  A thoroughly  consistent  double-joint  bam- 
boo-turned bow-back,  with  delicate  mahogany  arms. 
Note  the  change  in  this  from  an  arm  curving  sidewise 
to  one  curving  up  and  down , the  direction  of  the  curves 
being  changed  as  soon  as  the  mahogany  arm  appears. 
This  chair  is  remarkable  for  its  wide  seat  and  wider 
base,  and  has  nine  spindles.  It  came  down  in  the 
Willard  family  of  clock  makers.  Color  red. 

Date:  Latish. 

Occurrence:  Rare  in  a shape  so  good. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  New- 
buryport,  Mass. 


Where  Windsors  are  Found 

New  England  is  now  the  only  district  where  Windsors  are  not 
very  rare.  A few,  better  or  worse,  can  often  be  found  in  New 
England  dealers’  hands,  and  they  are  still  quite  general  in  many 
households,  and  are  in  present-day  use,  and  far  more  difficult  to 
buy  from  homes  than  from  shops. 

Their  values  have  doubled  in  three  or  four  years,  and  multiplied 
many  times  in  twenty  years.  A fine  Windsor  settee  is  rarer  than 
a Chippendale  settee. 


67 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Kinked,  Bow-back  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit : This  chair  has  as  meritorious  points  nine  spindles 
in  the  back;  the  arms  and  outside  arm  spindles  of 
mahogany  are  handsomely  adjusted  so  as  to  suggest  a 
double  Flemish  curve.  The  seat  is  fairly  good  and  the 
bamboo  turnings  show  two  joints  throughout. 

Peculiar  in  the  kink  of  the  bow  some  inches  above  the 
seat.  This  oddity  may  or  may  not  be  counted  a merit. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  New- 
buryport,  Mass. 


A List  of  Terms  Connected  with  the  Seat 

Incut  or  ramp.  The  concave  curve  at  the  side  of  the  seat  just  in 
front  of  the  arms. 

Saddle.  The  shaping  of  the  seat  by  which  it  is  left  full  thickness 
at  the  center,  in  front,  and  is  either  hollowed  on  each  side,  in  the 
middle  period,  or  falls  away  to  the  outer  edge  in  the  early  period. 

Tailpiece  or  brace  or  extension  back.  The  piece  extending  from 
the  back  of  the  seat  to  receive  the  two  slanting  spindles  on  a braced- 
back  chair. 

Chamfer.  The  cutting  away  of  the  edge  of  the  seat  above  or 
below. 


69 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Comb-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Strong,  but  a botch. 

Merit:  An  amazing  instance  of  how  not  to  do  it.  The 
chair  has  been  “ converted* ’ into  a rocker,  and  that 
not  righteously  but  wickedly.  It  is  shown  as  a curious 
example  of  haggling,  supposedly  to  catch  a customer. 

The  first  oddity  is  the  location  of  the  stretchers,  run- 
ning into  the  vase  rather  than  below  into  the  plain 
taper,  where  they  always  occur.  In  this  chair  trouble 
was  taken  to  remove  them  from  their  original  position, 
to  make  room  for  the  rockers.  These  rockers  have 
each  a hole  plugged  in  the  center  apparently  with  the 
idea  of  a stretcher,  which  was  later  abandoned.  The 
chair  is  large,  with  scrolled,  not  carved,  arms.  Had  it 
been  left  in  its  original  form  the  chair  would  have  been 
highly  meritorious,  but  there  is  a persistent  demand, 
or  was,  for  rockers.  The  middle  stretcher  and  front 
spindles  look  too  good  and  too  new  to  be  true.  The 
chair  was  obtained  from  one  of  the  most  notorious 
fakers  of  antiques. 

Date:  Parts  are  early. 

Owned  (as  a horrible  example)  by  Wallace  Nutting, 
Framingham,  Mass. 

After  all  we  can  say  derogatory  of  such  a chair,  the  scheme  of 
its  underbody  is  the  best  that  could  be  devised  for  a Windsor  with 
both  rockers  and  stretchers.  Sad  to  say,  it  is  being  widely  copied 
to-day.  The  comb  is  one  of  the  best  ever  seen,  being  not  only 
very  much  concaved  but  very  long. 


7i 


A Windsor  Handbook 


“ Duck-bill  ” Joint,  Turned-back 

Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  High  for  its  period.  While  the  legs  show  the  plain 
late  style  the  whole  effect  is  excellent.  It  is  the  sort 
of  chair  that  anyone  likes.  The  writer  has  invented 
the  name  given  above,  and  it  may  not  be  of  any  value, 
but  it  at  least  calls  attention  to  the  peculiar  feature. 
The  joint  of  the  outer  spindles  with  the  horizontal 
piece,  while  done  by  mortise  and  tenon,  outwardly 
looks  like  a dainty  prolonged  miter,  like  a duck  bill. 
Date:  Very  late. 

Occurrence:  Rare. 

Owned  by  William  F.  Hubbard,  Hartford,  Conn. 

The  style  above  is  being  commonly  reproduced,  though  without 
the  fine  points  of  the  “duck  bill.”  Its  simplicity  is  a recommenda- 
tion. Its  seat  can  be  easily  shape'd  by  machinery.  Carried  out  in 
the  style  of  the  seat  and  turnings  on  page  66  it  would  become  more 
attractive,  but  all  these  improvements  would  entail  an  expense 
better  indulged  in  an  earlier  and  more  meritorious  type.  The  base 
of  most  Windsors  is  much  greater  than  the  width  of  the  seat.  In 
this  respect  they  are  a wide  departure  from  the  Jacobean,  which 
insisted  on  vertical  lines,  and  was  always  top  heavy  and  liable  to 
overset.  


Nomenclature  and  Origin 

The  term  loop  back  has  been  used  of  a side  chair  made  with  a 
back  bow  — that  is,  a round  back  or  hoop  ; while  the  upper  bow  of 
the  double  back — that  is,  a bow  running  down  to  the  arm  rail  — is 
termed  a hoop  back.  This  variance  in  terms  seems  to  the  writer 
a distinction  without  a difference.  One  is  as  much  a loop  or  a hoop 
as  the  other. 

The  settee-shaped  seat  also  of  armchairs,  made  without  a side 
concavity,  has  been  called  the  low-back  seat.  But  as  the  Penn- 
sylvania comb  back  is  far  more  frequent  than  the  low  back,  and  as 
both  have  this  sort  of  seat,  it  is  confusing  and  questionable  to  name 
the  seat  after  the  low  back  merely  because  that  back  was  earlier. 
This  seat,  either  straight  front  or  with  a soft  ogee  from  the  saddle, 
was  the  type  for  all  great  chairs  and  settees,  and  these  had  also 
vertical  arm  supports. 


73 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Bow-back  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Feet  pieced. 

Merit  of  this  chair  is  mostly  in  the  fine  height  of  the  back. 
In  other  respects  it  is  not  worth  dwelling  upon.  It 
suggests  in  its  arms  the  beginning  of  the  Boston  rocker 
of  the  Victorian  period,  and  shows  how  much  one  may 
unconsciously  fall  away  in  taste. 

Date:  Very  late. 

Occurrence:  Common,  except  for  the  bow. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  32  Green  Street,  Newbury- 
port,  Mass. 


List  of  Terms 

The  Bow 

The  bow  is  the  horse-shoe  or  ox-bow  shaped  piece  which  forms 
the  outline  of  the  back  in  bow  or  “round"  back  chairs.  In  ancient 
chairs  it  continues  curving  even  into  the  seat.  Later  it  drew  in 
somewhat  before  entering  seat.  In  one  style  it  did  not  enter  the 
seat  at  all,  but  in  one  piece  swept  down  to  form  the  arm  — a weak 
construction. 


The  Arm 

The  arm  rail  is  the  piece  which  forms  both  the  arm  and  the 
lower  rail,  sweeping  round  the  back  from  arm  to  arm.  The  bow 
above  it,  the  ends  of  which  fasten  into  it,  is  the  bow  proper.  A 
chair  so  made  is  called  a sack  back.  The  arm  may  be  plain ; merely 
rounded  at  the  end;  or  cut  on  the  outside  in  a scroll;  or  carved  in 
a spiral  like  a knuckle,  and  called  a knuckle  arm. 


75 


A Windsor  Handbook 


“ Sheraton  ” Square-back  Arm 

Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  Moderate,  though  good  of  its  type.  It  resembles 
closely  in  the  back  the  late  settees.  It  also  has  the 
merit  of  nine  back  spindles,  but  as  in  late  chairs  the 
seat  ‘lacks  grace.  The  arm  suggests  the  ancestry  of 
the  “Boston  Rocker.” 

Date:  Very  late. 

Occurrence:  Rare. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  New- 
bury port,  Mass. 


Prices 

As  to  the  prices  paid,  it  is  of  little  value  to  mention  them  except 
comparatively.  Excellent  examples  of  side  chairs  are  often  found 
for  the  price  of  an  opera  ticket,  while  two  score  times  as  much  has 
doubtless  been  paid  for  very  fine  and  rare  high-backed  arms,  or  for 
writing  chairs. 

Speaking  broadly,  side  chairs  in  a set  are  worth  twice  as  much 
as  when  found  singly.  Also  the  side  chair  is  worth  perhaps  one- 
third  as  much  as  an  arm  chair  of  the  same  type.  Features  that 
increase  the  price  rapidly  are  very  high  backs,  very  large  seats, 
very  early  dates. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  is  asked  in  New  York  for  a fine 
comb  back.  But  if  value  is  to  depend  on  rarity  we  can  of  course 
say  nothing  certain  as  to  what  extent  the  desire  of  buyers  may  rise. 
Very  fair  side  chairs,  singly  or  in  pairs,  are  as  cheap  at  least  as  new 
style  mahogany  chairs. 


77 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Writing-arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine.  Original  except  one  long  spindle. 

Merit:  The  highest.  Observe  the  quaintly  heavy  leg  on 
the  table  side.  It  was  made  heavier  and  was  raked 
more  than  its  mate  to  take  the  greater  weight  and  pre- 
serve the  center  of  gravity.  It  is  just  such  individual 
touches  as  these  that  give  charm  to  old  furniture. 
The  size  of  the  tongue  is  huge.  The  support  of  the 
table  by  spindles  of  the  same  style  as  the  rest  of  the 
chair  is  an  early  and  rare  feature.  The  insprung 
spindles  of  the  comb  are  another  quaint  feature.  They 
are  seven.  This  is  the  Sherer  chair,  always  hitherto  in 
one  family,  and  parted  with  to  the  writer  merely  to 
afford  the  public  an  opportunity  to  enjoy  it.  The 
chair  never  had  drawers.  Turnings  could  be  better. 

Date:  Very  early. 

Occurrence:  Perhaps  unique. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Webb-Washington  House, 
Wethersfield,  Conn. 


Rarity  of  Fine  Types 

We  often  hear  wonder  expressed  that  fine  types  of  any  sort  of 
furniture  are  so  rare.  The  reason  is  to  be  found  partly  in  the  rarity 
of  skill,  sufficient  to  have  produced  them,  and  again  in  the  rarity  of 
appreciation  that  was  willing  to  expend  the  necessary  means  for 
their  production.  But  in  the  case  of  large  pieces  such  as  writing- 
arm  chairs  and  ten-legged  settees,  unless  a family  was  fixed  in  one 
house  for  many  generations  such  pieces  were  often  counted  too 
cumbersome  to  move. 


79 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Writing-arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  The  highest.  The  apparent  slant  to  the  left  of 
the  observer  is  mostly  an  optical  delusion  caused  by 
the  intentional  slant  inward  of  the  table,  which  is  very 
wide,  and  therefore  the  drawer  presents  a somewhat 
awkwardly  long  effect  viewed  from  the  front.  The 
turnings  are  all  of  the  best.  A careful  study  of  these 
turnings  will  teach  a novice  for  what  he  should  look. 
For  instance,  the  cut  at  the  bottom  of  the  vase  in  the 
legs  is  very  deep  and  the  bulb  above  it  consequently 
very  large.  Observe  also  that  the  front  spindle  and 
table  spindles  are  of  the  highest  merit,  better  than  any 
others  the  writer  has  seen.  These  turnings  usually  lack 
something  of  style  which  might  easily  have  been  sup- 
plied. Note  that  if  one  should  cut  off  the  leg  some 
inches  and  taper  the  portion  left  he  would  have  a per- 
fect arm  spindle,  except  that,  of  course  it  would  be  a 
trifle  smaller.  It  is  not  suggested  that  the  usual  arm 
spindle  is  not  good,  but  only  that  this  is  better,  and 
probably  hopeless  to  look  for  often.  The  arm  is  scrolled 
and  carved.  We  must  admit  that  the  tilting  of  the  table 
detracts  from  the  grace  of  the  general  effect,  but  is 
more  convenient  as  it  is.  The  seven-spindle  comb 
could  have  been  better. 

Date:  Very  early. 

Occurrence:  Extremely  rare. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Iron  Works  House,  Saugus 
Center,  Mass. 


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A Windsor  Handbook 


Light  Writing-arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  High.  The  seat  is  well  shaped  and  the  seven  back 
spindles  were  intended  to  be  outsprung.  Both  drawers 
are  correct.  The  chair  is  of  light  weight  and  rather 
delicate  effect.  The  legs  are  somewhat  light  for  the 
service  demanded.  The  ears  are  not  spiraled  but  star- 
carved.  It  is  usual  for  writing  chairs  to  be  made  with 
sawed  arm  rail.  This  chair  accomplishes  much  for  its 
weight. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  New- 
buryport,  Mass. 

The  writing-arm  chair  by  its  nature  cannot  be  symmetrical. 
The  arm  beneath  the  table  is  left  in  the  rough,  a flat  support. 
Neither  is  it  possible  to  have  the  spindles  in  the  comb  very  numerous 
or  spread  far  to  the  side,  owing  to  danger  of  interference  with  the 
writing  table.  The  glorified  writing  chair  has  a little  slide  which 
may  be  drawn  out  as  a candle  rest.  But  the  writer  has  never  seen 
a writing  chair  without  some  faults. 

The  writing-arm  chair  was  not  made  in  sufficient  numbers  to  fix 
a type.  Most  probably  it  was  made  to  order  and  there  are  no  two 
very  nearly  alike.  The  absence  of  patterns  led  the  maker  to  work 
out  his  problems  with  more  or  less  success  according  to  his  taste. 
In  the  example  before  us  he  evidently  sacrificed  to  the  idea  of 
stability  a somewhat  wider  arm  which  would  have  made  the  chair 
more  serviceable.  With  a light  underbody  he  could  scarcely  do 
better,  except  that  there  should  have  been  a greater  slant  to  the 
two  outside  spindles  that  enter  the  horn  and  the  horn  could  then 
have  been  shorter. 


83 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Writing-arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine. 

Merit:  Moderate.  Has  two  tongues  or  supports  for  the 
table  spindles.  Never  had  drawer  under  seat.  The 
plain  ears,  and  the  five,  rather  than  six  or  seven,  long 
spindles;  the  plain  arm  and  ordinary  bamboo  turnings 
of  the  legs  (possibly  a trifle  shortened)  keep  the  chair 
out  of  the  highest  class. 

Date:  Late  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Writing-arm  chairs  are  rare. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Hospitality  Hall,  Wethers- 
field, Conn. 

Some  writing  chairs  are  made  with  a swivel  arm  so  as  to  make 
it  easy  to  enter  or  leave  the  chair,  which  is  a feat  otherwise  for- 
bidden to  very  stout  men.  The  swivel  arms  seem  to  be  late,  ap- 
pearing on  chairs  which  have  otherwise  lost  all  good  early  char- 
acter. There  is  much  poetry,  real  and  figurative,  connected  with 
the  writing  chair.  It  is  the  most  inviting  of  all  chairs,  because  it 
calls  to  either  work  or  recreation,  and  is  a little  world  in  itself. 

There  is  at  the  rooms  of  the  Concord  Antiquarian  Society  a very 
crude  but  quaint  writing-arm  chair  which  Emerson  used  for  writing 
some  of  his  essays.  The  residence  of  the  essayist  was  opposite  and 
in  order  to  avoid  lion-hunters  he  would  sometimes  steal  away  to 
the  Society  rooms  where  he  used  this  chair  without  molestation. 
It  is  made  with  two  boards,  the  upper  one  tilted  somewhat  sloping 
toward  the  back  and  affording  a small  space  between  the  two  boards 
for  paper. 


85 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Writing-arm  Windsor 

Condition:  Apparently  original. 

Merit:  Moderate  owing  to  its  small  size  and  the  lack  of 
depth.  The  suggestion  occurs  that  it  may  have  been 
designed  for  a woman.  The  turnings  are  bamboo  type. 

Date:  Late  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Rare,  as  are  all  writing  chairs. 

Owned  by  William  F.  Hubbard,  Hartford,  Conn. 


The  Braced  Back 

This  fine  feature  consisting  of  a tailpiece,  run  out  from  the  seat. 
Two  spindles  run  slantwise  into  the  bow  or  rail  of  the  back.  The 
tailpiece  when  well  formed  is  wedge  shaped,  narrower  where  it  con- 
nects with  the  chair.  In  arm  chairs,  where  the  grain  of  the  seat 
runs  sidewise,  it  was  necessary  to  mortise  in  the  tailpiece.  But  in 
any  other  case  of  framing  in  one  may  conclude  that  the  work  is  a 
recent  fraud.  A braced-back  chair  is  strong. 

A braced-back  chair  is  worth  perhaps  a half  more  than  or  even 
twice  as  much  as  one  without  this  feature.  A chair  with  a writing 
arm  is  the  most  valuable,  except  a “three  backt’’  chair  (the  arm 
rail,  the  bow,  and  the  comb  above  that). 

Chairs  with  plain  turnings  are  not  worth  having  at  any  price.  A 
Windsor  is  merely  a wooden  chair,  and  unless  it  has  some  grace  or 
merit  it  belongs  in  a modern  kitchen.  The  cheaply,  easily  turned 
Windsors  abound  and  often  offend  in  rooms  otherwise  well  furnished. 


87 


A Windsor  Handbook 


One-piece  Back  and  Arm  Baby’s 
High  Chair 

(on  two  previous  pages) 

Condition:  Fine  and  practically  original.  One  small, 
short  spindle  new. 

Merit:  The  very  highest.  While  we  may  question  the 
structural  wisdom  of  the  one-piece  back  and  bow,  it  is 
at  least  very  graceful.  We  give  two  pictures  of  this 
beautiful  chair  that  one  may  become  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  its  features,  well  worth  study.  The 
turned  spindles  of  the  arm,  especially  that  on  the  right, 
is  a very  fine  “fat”  type.  The  seat  is  excellent,  but 
the  underbody  is  very  worthy  indeed.  The  beautiful 
turnings  are  the  best  type  of  the  long,  softly  curving 
vase.  The  chair  is  twenty  inches  high  to  the  seat, 
which  we  think  is  nearly  an  inch  low  for  convenience, 
but  probably  something  has  been  lost  by  wear. 

It  should  be  observed  as  a very  important  point 
that  the  turnings  in  the  very  best  high  chairs  like  this 
vary  in  no  respect  from  the  ordinary  chairs,  except  in 
the  lengthening  of  the  plain,  tapered  lower  end  of  the 
leg.  In  this  chair  and  that  which  follows,  the  great 
bulb,  the  base  of  the  vase  and  the  top  of  the  taper  are 
fully  two  inches  in  diameter. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Extremely  rare. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  32  Green  Street,  Newbury- 
port,  Mass. 


90 


A Windsor  Handbook 


The  Quest  and  Value  of  Windsors 

T TNFORTUNATELY  mere  rarity  gives  a large  market 
^ value  to  antique  furniture.  But  the  collector  ought 
to  discriminate  and  not  be  led  astray  by  rarity,  even  by 
uniqueness,  unless  the  piece  in  question  has  other  obvious 
merits. 

Historical  chairs  have  very  little  additional  value  on 
that  account.  They  appeal  mostly  to  descendants  of 
former  owners. 

Sets  of  Windsors,  of  good  type,  are  so  rare  as  to  be 
desirable.  Sets  are  very  much  sought  for  dining  rooms 
in  simple  houses  or  summer  houses.  The  late  types  are 
findable  in  sets  but  are  not  well  worth  owning.  There 
was  an  infinite  variety  in  the  styles  of  turnings  and  in 
the  sizes. 

Cut-down  chairs  are  not  so  desirable,  their  value  being 
cut  in  half,  at  any  rate  if  side  chairs.  As  a slipper  chair 
in  a chamber  an  occasional  sawed-off  specimen  may 
possibly  be  tolerated.  The  larger  the  chair  the  greater 
the  value,  if  otherwise  good.  No  refinished  chair  should 
be  purchased  at  the  price  of  an  early  original.  The 
chances  are  a leg  or  two  has  been  supplied  or  pieced,  a 
top  or  spindles  added,  or  the  whole  thing  may  be  “syn- 
thetic,” a hodge  podge  of  several  chairs.  There  is  no 
objection  to  a new  Windsor  of  good  type,  provided  the 
purchaser  knows  what  he  buys  and  pays  accordingly. 

A shaky  chair  will  require  a considerable  share  of  its 
value  for  repairs,  and  unless  it  is  rare  or  fine  it  is  worth 
very  little. 

Quaintness,  a quality  hardly  definable,  but  felt  only, 
and  by  the  lover  of  it  only,  is  a quality  much  to  be  desired. 


9i 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Baby’s  Bow-back  High  Chair 

Condition:  Originally  had  a one-piece  arm  and  bow, 
which  failed  at  the  sharp  turn,  and  two  arms  have  been 
substituted. 

Merit:  Very  high,  owing  (i)  to  the  nine-spindle  back, 
(2)  the  well-shaped  seat,  but  chiefly  (3)  to  the  remark- 
ably heavy  fine  early  turnings  of  the  legs. 

Date:  Very  early  — before  the  Revolution. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  William  F.  Hubbard,  Hartford,  Conn. 


The  Design  of  Little  Chairs 

Chairs  for  children  or  babes  were  often  rather  clumsy  in  appear- 
ance, for  the  reason  that  they  were  designed  for  rough  uses.  Many 
of  them  show  wear  from  being  dragged  sidewise  over  the  sanded 
floors.  It  is  also  impracticable  to  reduce  all  dimensions  of  the  leg 
and  back  in  proportion  to  the  reduced  seat,  because  the  lines  of  the 
large  chair  itself  were  made  as  slight  as  strength  permitted.  It  has 
been  found  in  practice  that  the  small  turning  at  the  neck  of  the 
vase  cannot  be  reduced  below  a half  inch  without  danger  of  break- 
age. It  still  remains  for  some  designer  to  produce  better  effects  in 
low  chairs  than  have  yet  been  seen.  It  requires  greater  care  to 
make  a small  chair  than  a large  one  and  the  expense  is  greater. 
Hence  only  rarely  do  we  find  makers  who  dared  to  offer  a chair  for 
children  which  was  at  once  delicate  and  elaborate.  The  author 
does  n’t  remember  to  have  seen  such  a chair  with  carved  arms. 


93 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Baby’s  Bow-back  High  Chair 

Condition:  Fine.  A minor  split  in  cross  stretcher.  Other- 
wise original  and  very  firm. 

Merit:  The  highest.  The  turnings  are  rarely  good,  fol- 
lowing perfectly,  only  in  elongated  form,  the  earliest 
and  best  vase  type.  The  front  arm  spindles  are  also 
perfect. 

The  bow  has  an  enlarged  and  neatly  shaped  footing 
or  shoulder  forming  a kind  of  mortise  and  tenor,  as  it 
passes  into  the  rail.  This  is  sometimes  seen  in  large 
chairs  and  is  pleasing.  The  rare  number  of  seven 
spindles  (for  a high  chair)  runs  up  to  the  bow,  and  they 
are  carefully  graduated  in  fan  curves.  There  is  a 
marked  and  pleasing  flare  to  the  entire  back,  in  fine 
basket  shape.  The  general  effect  of  the  chair  with 
properly  raked  legs  and  full  of  graceful  curves  is  very 
charming  indeed.  To  save  the  owner  from  the  last 
touch  of  vanity  the  seat,  though  neatly  chamfered 
above  and  below,  lacks  the  saddle  effect. 

Date:  Very  early. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare  indeed,  possibly  unique  in  the 
number  of  good  details. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Iron  Works  House,  Saugus 
Center,  Mass.,  a part  of  the  “all  Windsor, ” lean-to 
kitchen  furniture. 


95 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Baby’s  Bow-back  High  Chair 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  High.  A somewhat  lighter,  smaller  chair  than  the 
preceding,  and  therefore  not  admitting  of  turnings  so 
deep.  A good  saddle  seat;  five  gracefully  fan-curved, 
long  spindles,  gracefully  bulbous  below. 

Date:  Early  to  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Rare. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 

One  wonders  why  high  chairs  are  less  carefully  made  now  than 
formerly.  Is  it  because  we  reverence  children  less?  Or  was  the  old 
chair  well  made  because  it  was  expected  to  serve  for  an  even  dozen 
children?  At  any  rate,  we  cannot  but  be  drawn  to  it. 

Most  baby  chairs  had  a means  of  holding  the  occupant  in.  A 
wooden  slotted  bar  was  used,  or  a cord.  Once  placed,  the  youngster 
must  abide  the  will  of  the  higher  power. 

As  that  style  of  dressing  children  which  imitated  the  garments 
of  their  elders  was  very  charming,  so  low  chairs  made  for  children, 
in  style  like  large  chairs,  are  always  attractive. 

Some  with  only  three  spindles  in  the  comb  lack  character.  It 
is  attention  to  the  details  in  copying  the  large  chairs,  that  gives  the 
baby  chairs  their  merit.  None  of  these  chairs  originally  had  rockers. 
The  other  low  chairs  shown  on  page  1 14  are  later  and  less  worthy. 
The  location  of  the  foot  rest  varied  considerably.  The  one  here 
shown  is  very  low  and  could  have  been  serviceable  only  for  a child 
of  some  size. 


97 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Baby’s  Bow-back  High  Chair 

Condition:  Good  and  apparently  original,  with  the  possible 
exception  of  a portion  of  the  foot  rest. 

Merit:  Very  high  owing  (i)  to  the  extreme  rake  and  size 
of  the  legs,  (2)  to  the  method  of  the  connection  between 
arms  and  bow,  (3)  to  the  general  quaint  effect.  The 
demerits  are  merely  incident  to  the  period,  as  these 
bamboo-turned  legs  are  not  so  good  as  the  earlier 
richer  turnings. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare  in  so  quaint  proportions. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  New- 
buryport,  Mass. 


The  Foot  Rest  on  High  Chairs 

Many  of  the  early  high  chairs  had  none.  It  was  obviously  the 
original  intention  to  secure  a child  in  the  high  chair,  whereas  the 
foot  rest  gave  an  opening  by  which  an  enterprising  youngster  could 
climb  down.  Further,  there  was  more  danger  of  oversetting  the 
chair  with  the  rest  than  without.  Some  chairs  were  made  with 
adjustable  foot  rest  to  accommodate  lengthening  legs! 

The  clumsiness  of  the  foot  rests  on  chairs  otherwise  fine  like  that 
opposite  leads  to  the  suspicion  that  they  were  seldom  original  or  if 
so  that  they  did  not  stand  the  strain  of  time. 


99 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Bab’sy  Comb-back  High  Chair 

Condition:  The  two  long  side  spindles  had  evidently  been 
broken  and  badly  mended  by  setting  in  new  holes  in 
the  arm  rail  outside  of  the  old  holes.  These  are  now 
restored  to  their  original  holes.  The  seat  having  split, 
two  cleats  were  found  as  now,  nailed  under  it.  Other- 
wise original. 

Merit:  The  nearly  perfect  type  of  its  kind.  The  comb 
has  the  remarkable  number  of  seven  spindles,  as  in 
one  other  baby  chair,  a bow-back  already  illustrated. 
The  author  thinks  the  comb  would  have  been  finer  for 
a deeper  concave,  to  enable  it  to  follow  the  back  more 
closely  as  in  the  Stevens  chair  following.  The  turnings 
are  the  ball-foot  type.  The  seat  looked  down  upon  is 
very  fine,  and  the  whole  effect  is  charming. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare  indeed,  possibly  unique  in  the  sum 
of  its  good  features. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Iron  Works  House,  Sau- 
gus Center,  Mass. 


List  of  Terms:  Underbody 

Below  the  seat  is  the  underbody.  The  turnings  are  either  Penn- 
sylvanian with  balls  or  with  blunt  arrow  feet;  New  England,  with 
vase  and  taper;  bamboo,  which  is  later;  or  a still  later  shapeless 
leg. 

Stretchers  or  rungs:  The  horizontal  pieces  connecting  the  legs  and 
one  another. 

Ball  or  bulb:  The  heaviest  part  of  the  vase  or  the  bulbous  center 
of  the  stretchers. 

Rake , splay,  slant:  The  slope  of  the  legs. 

Taper:  That  part  of  the  leg  extending  below  the  vase. 


IOI 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Baby’s  Comb-back  High  Chair 

Condition:  Fine,  apparently  original. 

Merit:  Very  high.  The  concave  of  the  comb  is  deep,  the 
spiral-carved  ears  and  shape  of  the  comb  are  very 
good.  The  legs  are  fair,  but  lose  a grace  they  would 
have  gained  by  tapering  to  a smaller  end.  The  arm 
rail  is  a little  heavy,  but  the  seat  is  well  shaped,  and 
the  general  effect  of  the  top  is  very  good. 

Comparing  it  with  the  previous  chair,  this  comb  is 
superior  to  that  owing  to  its  better  curve,  but  this  has 
six  spindles  to  the  other’s  seven.  This  chair  is  stockier. 

Date:  Early  to  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare  indeed. 

Owned  by  Samuel  Stevens,  North  Andover  (an  heir- 
loom) . 

High  chairs  suffered  like  their  larger  companions  from  being  cut 
off  at  the  bottom.  A better  reason  existed  in  the  high  chair’s  case. 
As  a child  grew  he  needed  less  elevation  to  keep  him  in  proper  line 
with  the  table.  So  the  poor  chair  suffered  successive  mutilations 
until,  cut  down  to  its  bottom  rung,  it  was  finally  discarded  for  the 
grown-up  chair.  Only  occasionally  the  fine  early  symmetry  and 
sentiment  preserved  it  intact. 

The  height  of  the  seat  from  the  floor  in  babies’  high  chairs  varies 
somewhat,  but  less  than  twenty-one  inches  is  a pretty  good  indica- 
tion that  some  sawing  off  has  been  done.  The  maker  seems  not  to 
have  dared  to  carry  to  the  normal  required  length  the  rapidly 
spreading  leg. 


103 


A Windsor  Handbook 


(a) 


Baby’s  High  Chair,  Sheraton  Scroll 


Back 


Condition : Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  While  the  back  rail  seems  suggested  by  the 
Sheraton  chair  back,  and  is  graceful,  it  is  sustained 
on  flattened  outside  back  spindles  (Sheraton  influence) 
which  mark  departure  from  exact  Windsor  style.  The 
poorly — more  properly  thoughtlessly — shaped  seat  and 
the  graceless  sticks  provided  for  legs  mark  degeneration. 

Date : Very  late. 

Occurrence:  Common. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newbury  port,  Mass. 


(b) 


Condition:  Original. 

Merit : Slight.  A poorer  edition  of  the  one  following. 
Date:  Very  late. 

Occurrence : Very  common. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newbury  port,  Mass. 


105 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Baby’s  High  Chair 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  The  extraordinary  rake  of  the  legs  makes  it  cer- 
tain only  a super  baby  could  tip  over  in  it.  Yet  the 
legs  are  not  heavy,  but  have  a humorous  grace.  This 
type  in  which  the  outside  back  spindles  run  above  the 
rail  indicate  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  the  Windsor 
style.  Also  the  shape  of  seat.  Good  bamboo  turnings, 
with  the  saddle. 

Date:  Very  late. 

Occurrence:  The  type  is  common,  but  not  the  fine  under- 
body. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


The  Mystery  of  Style 

There  is  nothing  more  puzzling  in  human  nature  than  its  lapses 
from  the  good  to  the  bad  in  style  as  well  as  in  morals.  Place  the 
good  and  bad  style  side  by  side  and  the  bad  will  often  be  chosen, 
whereas  another  generation  will  strongly  develop  a taste  for  good 
form.  The  study  of  good  forms,  and  comparisons  to  learn  their 
merits  are  as  necessary  as  any  part  of  education.  A sad  reflection 
is  that  the  good  style  is  often  more  expensive  than  the  bad,  al- 
though the  bad  may  cost  more  to  manufacture. 

One  would  suppose  that  the  concentration  of  the  manufacturers 
would  tend  to  develop  good  taste  because  such  concentration 
affords  bases  for  comparison.  But  in  practice  the  thing  works  out 
the  other  way.  It  is  the  lonely  maker  who  shows  genius.  The 
more  machinery  the  less  thought  in  him  who  runs  it. 


107 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Twin  Babies’  High  Chair 

Condition:  Back  legs  restored. 

Merit:  As  to  style  the  chair  has  no  merit.  But  it  appeals 
very  strongly  to  sentiment  and  is  a great  oddity.  Un- 
doubtedly the  proud  father,  presented  with  twins, 
rushed  away  to  create  this  piece  as  a great  surprise  to 
the  happy  mother.  No  doubt  it  was  successful  as  a 
surprise,  but  scarcely  in  any  other  way,  for  the  mother 
would  have  said : ‘ ‘ How  cunning,  but  at  table  of  course 
we  shall  have  to  separate  the  twins  as  far  as  possible ! ’ ’ 
Yet  what  a sight  two  tots  would  be  in  this  double  seat! 

Date:  Very  late. 

Occurrence:  Unique  so  far  as  known  to  the  author. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  New- 
bury port,  Mass. 


Construction  of  Windsor  Chairs 

The  bow  or  round  top  was  fastened  to  the  seat  by  extending 
away  through  it  and  being  wedged.  The  central  spindles,  three  or 
four,  were  pinned  to  the  bow,  as  also  the  bracing  spindles,  which 
also  were  pinned  to  the  tailpiece. 

The  two  short  spindles  on  each  side  did  not  as  a rule  run  through 
the  bow. 

The  legs  either  pierced  the  seat  and  were  wedged,  or  to  gain 
neatness  did  not  quite  penetrate  and  so  their  tops  were  concealed. 

For  the  same  reason  the  stretchers  stopped  short  of  piercing  the 
leg. 

In  some  cases  glue  was  used;  in  others  dependence  was  placed  on 
wedges  and  tight  joints  alone. 


109 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Child’s  Comb-back 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  High.  The  height  of  the  comb  above  the  seat  is 
nineteen  inches.  The  chair  is  here  shown  large  and 
there  is  no  means  of  comparison  on  the  page.  But  the 
seat  is  only  ten  inches  high,  proper  for  a child,  not  a 
babe. 

Of  course  the  turnings  on  a child’s  chair  cannot  be 
reduced  in  proportion  to  its  size  or  it  would  soon  be 
wrecked. 

The  carved  ears,  out  sprung  spindles,  and  the  general 
features  place  the  chair  in  a rank  almost  unique,  for 
a child’s  chair. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Extremely  rare. 

Owned  by  Mrs.  Morgan  G.  Bulkeley,  Hartford,  Conn. 


Child’s  Furniture 

There  is  an  age  when  children  find  themselves  hampered  by  fur- 
niture too  large  or  too  small  for  them.  As  a rule  furniture  is  made 
either  for  adults  or  babies  with  no  step  between.  When  therefore 
we  do  occasionally  come  upon  a child’s  bed  or  chair  or  desk,  it  has 
all  the  greater  charm,  and  the  greater  value  from  its  rarity. 

In  the  chair  opposite  we  have  an  almost  exact  miniature  repro- 
duction of  the  large  settee  seat  arm  chair.  Fear  of  weakness  prob- 
ably kept  the  maker  from  executing  certain  refinements  which  his 
taste  suggested. 


(b) 

Low  Baby’s  Chair 


Double  Bow-back 


Condition:  Apparently  original. 
Merit:  Slight. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Rare. 

Owned  by  Herbert  B.  Newton, 
Holyoke,  Mass.  This  applies 
to  both  chairs. 


Double  Bow-back 

Condition:  Feet  have  been  cut 

off. 

Merit:  Moderate,  though  the 
back  is  very  well  for  the  light 
type,  and  with  its  original 
height  the  legs  would  have 
been  fair  of  the  late  bamboo 
type. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Unusual. 


1 1 2 


Cradle  with  Bamboo  Turning 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Peculiar  in  its  suggestion  of  a chaise  longue.  As  that  is 
a chair  with  seat  drawn  out,  so  this  suggests  a baby 
chair  drawn  out. 

Merit:  High,  owing  to  its  grace  and  fine  condition  and  the 
good  curves  of  head  and  foot  and  also  of  the  side  rails. 

Date:  Middle  to  late. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare,  possibly  in  these  curves,  unique. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


1 13 


(a)  (b)  (c)  (d) 


Low  Child’s  Chairs 

Condition:  Good  and  original  except  (a)  which  has  rockers 
added. 

Merit:  (a)  is  the  best,  (b)  is  of  the  “Sheraton”  scroll 
back;  (c)  and  (d)  variations  of  the  turned  back  rail. 

Date:  Late  except  (a). 

Occurrence  of  (a)  rare;  others  not  unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newbury  port,  Mass. 


114 


Best  Early  Side  Chair. 


Best  Large  Arm  Chair 


good  Settee  Shape 
Pennsylvania  Arm  Chair 


Elliptical  Seat 
Arm  Chair 


Degraded  Side  Chair 


Good  Late  Side  Chair 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Bow-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Original. 

Merit:  The  highest,  for  its  type.  The  turnings  are  very 
deeply  cut,  and  the  vase  and  ball  strongly  marked. 
The  legs  at  their  largest  diameter  are  two  inches,  yet 
draw  in  suddenly  and  gracefully  at  the  stem  of  the 
vase  to  seven-eighths  of  an  inch.  The  stretchers  are 
heavily  bulbous,  all  alike.  It  is  the  perfect  underbody 
of  the  earliest  Windsor  style. 

The  seat  also,  as  in  this  type  while  having  a strongly 
marked  saddle,  is  chamfered  away  strongly  at  the  sides 
(suggesting  the  use  of  these  chairs  for  men  who  spread 
their  knees  well,  and  alas,  probably  tipped  back). 

Contrast  this  seat  with  the  type  which  has  two  hol- 
lows for  the  legs. 

The  back  is  not  quite  so  graceful  as  in  later  chairs, 
but  the  bow  is  still  continuing  in  a curve  as  it  enters 
the  seat.  This  is  characteristic  of  the  earliest  period. 
So  is  the  shaved  or  whittled  spindle  with  its  slight  bulb 
where  it  was  held  in  the  clamp  or  hand  while  being 
shaved  or  whittled  from  this  point  each  way. 

Date:  Very  early,  1725-1750. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare  with  turnings  as  good.  This  is  one 
of  a set  of  six. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Iron  Works  House, 
Saugus  Center,  Mass. 


7 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Bow-back,  Carved  Bow 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  High.  The  blunt  shape  of  the  seat  in  front,  with- 
out saddle  or  chamfer  from  below  is  a strange  omission 
in  what  is  otherwise  a good  chair.  The  leaf  pattern 
repeated  in  carving  on  the  face  of  the  bow  is  a strik- 
ing variation.  The  underbody  is  good. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Extremely  rare. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  32  Green  St.,  Newbury- 
port,  Mass.  (The  Cutler-Bartlet  House). 


Curiosities  of  Construction 

One  wonders  why  the  upper  bulb  of  the  leg  was  so  very  high, 
since  grace  suggests  it  should  have  been  a trifle  lower.  The  dissec- 
tion of  old  chairs  has  shown  that  the  hole  for  the  leg  was  often 
bored  with  a taper  and  the  upper  bulb  was  turned  to  a long,  taper- 
ing neck  and  driven  into  the  chair  apparently  as  far  as  it  would 
go,  thus  forming  a tighter  joint. 

The  Rhode  Island  taper  at  the  bottom  of  the  leg  arose  out  of  the 
deeply  fixed  notion  that  there  is  always  beauty  in  curves.  Good 
taste  approves  a perfectly  straight  taper.  The  Rhode  Island  curve 
begins  somewhat  above  the  line  of  the  stretcher.  In  chairs  made 
from  memory  a very  clumsy  and  sawed-off  effect  was  produced  by 
making  the  leg  largest  at  the  stretcher  line. 

The  ramp  in  the  side  of  the  seat  probably  arose  from  the  desire 
to  lighten  the  chair  wherever  possible,  which  was  also  a primary 
purpose  of  chamfering  the  edges  on  the  under  side. 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Bow-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Good  and  original. 

Merit:  High.  The  stretchers  are  strongly  bulbous  but 
differ  from  the  two  preceding  in  shape.  Seat  not  so 
good. 

Date:  Early,  probably  a little  later  than  preceding. 
Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  W ebb- Washington  House, 
Wethersfield,  Conn. 


Cushions 

These  may  be  made,  as  the  housewife  well  understands,  of  various 
materials,  but  the  most  durable  and  substantial  for  a Windsor 
chair  is  leather.  It  should  be  cut  to  a good  fit  for  the  chair  it  is  to 
serve.  If  leather  is  found  expensive,  its  wearing  qualities  will 
show  its  economy  in  the  long  run. 

Excellent  cushions  are  also  made  from  scraps  of  calico,  gingham 
or  chintz.  The  bottom  of  the  cushion  is  usually  made  of  bed  tick- 
ing, and  soft  homemade  cushions  seldom  have  more  than  two  pieces  at 
the  top  and  the  bottom.  The  contents  or  filling  of  the  cushion  may 
be  as  various  as  that  of  beds.  Our  ancestors  began  with  shredded 
cat-tails,  with  corn  husks  and  with  marsh  hay.  Later  they  used 
feathers  and  rarely  hair. 

A pair  of  tie  strings  should  be  attached  at  each  rear  corner  to 
fasten  around  the  outside  spindles  or  bow.  Comfort  and  beauty 
may  thus  be  secured  even  with  a seat  of  wood. 


12  I 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Bow-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  High.  Turnings  fine.  Rings  on  cross  stretcher. 
Seat  fine. 

Date:  Early,  but  slightly  later  than  the  heaviest  type. 
Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallacr  Nutting,  32  Green  St.,  Newbury- 
port,  Mass. 


The  Original  Cost  of  Windsors 

One  should  not  conclude  that  because  Windsors  have  little  or 
no  carving  that  they  were  therefore  of  little  cost  to  produce.  Good 
turning  is  a slow  process  and  accurate  turning  by  hand  almost  im- 
possible. As  a test  the  writer  watched  a turner  as  he  made  a well- 
shaped leg  from  a model.  The  wood,  while  maple,  worked  well, 
but  the  time  required  was  very  long. 

The  wood  of  the  bow  must  be  nicely  selected,  without  cross-grain, 
or  it  will  break,  and  sometimes  this  occurs  in  spite  of  all  precautions. 

It  is  a very  nice  matter  also  to  secure  a spindle  of  sufficient 
strength  and  at  the  same  time  fine  enough  to  enter  the  light  bow 
or  comb.  As  a consequence  factory- made  Windsors  always  have 
a coarse  bow  which  compared  with  the  old  type  is  very  woody. 

The  painting  or  natural  finish  of  the  chair  is  also  an  expensive 
process.  While  a piano  finish  is  not  expected,  soft  surfaces  are  only 
secured  by  rubbing.  The  nice  surface  of  the  old  Windsors  we 
suspect  was  mostly  secured  through  use,  automatically  so  to  speak. 


123 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Bow-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  High.  This  chair  is  the  Rhode  Island  type  of 
turning,  the  taper  of  the  legs  being  hollowed.  Also 
the  ball  above  the  taper  is  without  a bead  beneath  it, 
as  is  usual.  This  turning,  while  fair,  is  not  the  finest. 
There  are  only  seven  spindles.  Compare  it  with  the 
chair  following,  which  has  nine.  Seat  fine. 

Date:  Nearing  the  middle  period.  Delicate  chairs  like 
this  cannot  be  very  early. 

Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Wentworth-Gardner  House, 
Portsmouth,  N.  H. 


The  Bracing  Spindles 

The  two  bracing  spindles  in  the  chair  opposite  are  correctly 
placed.  No  account  was  taken  of  these  spindles  in  placing  the 
regular  spindles.  That  is,  the  holes  for  the  bracing  spindles  were 
bored  between  the  other  spindles  wherever  space  was  afforded.  In 
a few  instances,  where  such  chairs  were  made  from  memory,  the 
maker  erred  in  spreading  his  ordinary  spindles  or  gathering  them 
up  to  afford  more  room  for  the  bracing  spindles. 

The  effect  is  quite  graceless  and  unnecessary.  The  tailpiece  on 
the  best  designs  tapers  toward  the  chair  and  not  away  from  it. 
That  is,  it  is  widest  near  its  rear  extremity.  Its  corners  are  either 
chamfered  or  rounded.  The  bracing  spindles  always  penetrate  the 
back  completely  and  are  always  pinned  or  wedged  to  the  back  to 
secure  rigidity.  They  should  be  of  the  same  size  and  type  as  the 
other  spindles. 


125 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Bow-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  With  its  nine  spindles,  fine  rake  of  legs,  delicate 
turnings,  well-shaped  seat,  and  light  style,  it  is  a very 
fine  chair.  Compare,  however,  the  lower  ball  with 
the  earliest  heavy  turnings,  and  it  will  be  observed 
that  a ring  flush  with  the  lower  leg  has  been  made  a 
ball,  larger  than  the  lower  leg. 

Date:  Middle  period. . 

Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Wentworth-Gardner  House, 
Portsmouth,  N.  H. 


An  Exhibition  of  Windsors 

The  writer  is  glad  to  say  that  all  interested  in  seeing  the  various 
types  of  Windsors  may  easily  do  so  at  the  houses  mentioned  in  the 
addresses  below  his  name.  Except  in  a very  few  instances  the  public 
will  find  examples  of  all  the  most  meritorious  forms,  together  with 
others  somewhat  inferior  — above  a hundred  and  fifty  in  all. 

The  oldest  chairs  appear  in  the  lean-to  kitchen  at  the  Saugus 
Iron  Works  House.  They  are  of  the  heavy  type.  The  greatest 
number  is  to  be  found  at  Cutler-Bartlet  House,  32  Green  Street, 
Newburyport,  where  a little  picture  gallery  is  practically  filled  with 
them.  But  the  other  houses  also  have  numerous  fine  examples. 
Students  are  at  liberty  to  sketch  in  these  houses  to  their  heart’s 
content,  provided  they  do  the  owner  the  courtesy  to  procure  his 
photographs  rather  than  make  their  own.  It  is  the  intention  not 
to  forbid  the  diffusion  of  a proper  familiarity  with  good  lines  but  to 
encourage  it. 


27 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Bow-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  Largely  in  the  peculiarity  of  the  saddle  which  in 
addition  to  the  usual  shaping  at  the  top  is  also  incised 
from  below.  The  turnings  are  fair  to  good.  The  bow 
is  a little  heavy.  Legs  start  too  near  the  comer  of 
seat.  It  has,  however,  nine  spindles. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Rare  for  saddle  only. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newbury  port,  Mass. 


A Windsor  Revival 

Of  late  there  has  been  a diligent  search  for  good  Windsor  furni- 
ture, especially  in  chair  sets,  settees,  and  comb-backs.  So  far  as  the 
writer  knows  there  is  not  a set  combining  side  chairs,  arm  chairs, 
settees,  and  stools.  This  is  surprising  in  view  of  completeness  that 
can  be  attained  in  richer  styles  of  furniture. 

It  has  become  dangerous  to  the  peace  of  mind  of  a country 
estate  owner  or  that  of  a farmer’s  wife  to  leave  a good  Windsor  on 
the  porch  facing  a street.  A fine  limousine  will  stop  for  such  bait, 
which  is  more  deadly  than  the  catchiest  fly  to  a trout.  In  order  to 
prevent  as  far  as  possible  a revival  of  bad  Windsors  rather  than 
good  ones  this  little  book  has  been  written.  Although  the  writer 
has  studied  the  subject  by  fits  and  starts  for  years,  he  thinks  the 
only  proof  of  real  knowledge  of  the  lines  of  a good  Windsor  are  to 
be  found  in  reproducing  it  in  a drawing  from  memory. 


129 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original,  except  the  huge  bulb  in  the 
cross  stretcher  which  does  not  fully  agree  with  the  rest 
of  the  chair. 

Merit:  Moderate.  The  turnings  of  the  legs  do  not  swell 
enough,  showing  decadence  from  the  best  type.  The 
top-rail  has  not  sufficient  concavity. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Braced  fan-backs  are  unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newburyport,  Mass. 

Owing  to  the  favor  in  which  fan-backs  are  held,  together  with 
the  strength  of  the  brace  back,  this  style  of  chair  is  much  sought 
for  and  is  in  every  way  very  desirable. 


The  Windsor  Settee 

The  scarcity  of  settees  may  easily  be  understood,  as  very  large 
pieces  of  furniture  are  more  difficult  to  preserve.  Also  the  habit 
was  common  of  placing  Windsors  in  gardens,  where  neglect  soon 
allowed  them  to  fall  in  pieces.  The  best  settee  known  was  found  in 
a hen  coop.  It  will  be  impossible  to  discover  one  such  old  piece 
where  a thousand  are  wanted.  Nothing  is  rarer. 

It  is  not  usual  to  shape  saddle  seats  in  long  settees,  but  a ten- 
legger  will  accommodate  four  persons  provided  the  occupants  are, 
as  an  Englishman  said,  “made  according  to  act  of  Parliament.” 
The  usual  lengths  are  forty-eight  inches  for  two  persons,  sixty-six 
for  three,  and  eighty-four  for  four. 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Fan-back  with  “ Horns  ” 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  Moderate,  but  the  chair  is  Peculiar  in  the  small- 
ness of  its  seat,  which  is  well  shaped.  One  feels  it  may 
have  been  made  for  a half-grown  child.  Turnings 
ordinary. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Unusual  only  so  far  as  seat  is  concerned. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newburyport,  Mass. 


The  Fan-back 

Such  a chair,  to  justify  itself,  should  suggest  its  name.  The  spac- 
ing of  the  spindles  must  be  very  delicately  done  to  secure  grace. 
A sixteenth  of  an  inch  deviation  from  model  is  enough  to  spoil  an 
otherwise  beautiful  back. 

There  is  some  confusion  in  the  nomenclature  of  the  fan-back. 
The  practice  in  this  book  is  to  call  a fan  rising  above  an  arm  rail  or 
bow  a comb,  and  to  use  the  term  fan-back  only  in  case  of  side  chairs 
or  of  arm  chairs  which  have  no  rail  running  around  the  back. 

A matter  of  great  importance  in  the  fan-back  is  that  the  long 
outside  spindle  should  be  delicately  turned.  The  vase  shape  is  in 
this  case  necessarily  greatly  elongated  and  clumsiness  is  common. 
It  will  be  observed  that  this  turned  spindle  is  a reproduction  of  the 
leg  in  miniature,  except  that  it  is  a little  longer.  The  turning  at 
the  large  bulb  and  the  base  of  the  vase  can  hardly  be  more  than  an 
inch  and  three-eighths  and  at  the  stem  it  should  never  be  more  than 
five-eighths  of  an  inch.  Nine  spindles  beside  the  outside  spindles 
are  better  than  seven. 


133 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Good  and  original. 

Merit:  High.  The  ears  are  especially  well  done.  The 
turnings  are  unusual  and  very  good,  but  not  quite  the 
best. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
32  Green  St.,  Newburyport,  Mass. 


Country-Made  Chairs 

Our  fathers  had  the  advantage  of  us  in  this,  that  the  various  sorts 
of  native  woods  adapted  to  Windsor  chair  making  were  readily 
available  to  them.  While  oak  can  be  made  to  do  for  the  backs, 
hickory  is  superior  for  bows  and  spindles.  It  is  getting  more  and 
more  difficult  to  obtain.  In  fact,  no  native  hickory  is  quoted  in 
the  eastern  markets. 


List  of  Terms:  The  Back 

Spindles:  The  small,  round  pieces  running  from  seat  to  top. 
Those  below  the  arm  at  side  are  called  short  spindles.  Chairs  are 
called  nine-,  eight-,  or  seven-spindle  backs. 

Fan  or  bowed  or  curved  or  spring  spindles  refers  to  the  spring 
outward,  increasing  each  side  of  the  center,  of  the  spindles,  in  grace- 
ful chairs. 

Sack  Back:  A name  for  double-bow  backs. 

Turned  spindles:  While  all  spindles  are  turned  except  in  early 
chairs,  the  outside  spindles  of  a fan-back,  and  the  front  spindles 
under  the  arm,  are  called  specifically  turned  spindles. 


135 


A Windsor  Handbook 


High  Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Good;  original. 

Merit:  Unusual,  owing  to  the  fine  height  of  the  back. 
Turnings  good  It  is  one  of  a pair. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Rare,  owing  to  height  of  back. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Hospitality  Hall,  89 
Main  St.,  Wethersfield,  Conn. 

Connecticut  appears  to  be  a good  region  in  which  to  seek  for  un- 
usually high-backed  chairs.  Perhaps  the  tradition  that  the  in- 
habitants knew  how  to  make  things  comfortable  was  well  founded. 
At  any  rate,  the  higher  the  back  the  more  comfortable  the  chair. 

The  effect  of  height  is  greatly  enhanced  by  the  nearly  vertical 
back  and  the  almost  parallel  spindles  which  should  be  very  small 
and  more  numerous.  The  very  high  fan  back  seems  usually  to 
have  blunt,  uncarved  ears  or  '‘horns,”  and  in  the  instance  before 
us  they  curve  sharply.  The  seats  of  this  sort  of  chairs  look  small, 
but  are  not.  The  effect  of  smallness  and  primness  is  produced  by 
the  height  of  the  back. 

These  chairs  are  surprisingly  light,  and  are  striking  in  their 
effect  in  a set  for  a dining  room  where,  more  than  elsewhere  in  a 
home,  formality  is  pleasing. 

What  can  one  select  to  harmonize  with  such  a dining  set?  The 
table  that  comes  nearest  to  harmony  is  a light  cabriole-legged 
Dutch  foot. table  of  maple,  still  easy  to  obtain  at  very  moderate 
prices.  Unfortunately  such  tables  are  usually  rather  small. 


137 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Round-seat  Fan-back 

Condition:  Apparently  original. 

Merit:  Hard  to  define,  for  one  laughs  rather  than  defines. 
Certainly  the  owner  is  to  be  congratulated  on  a very 
quaint  possession. 

The  turnings  often  go  with  arm  chairs,  though  the  X- 
stretcher  chair  in  the  book  has  this  sort  of  turning,  and 
the  writer  owns  a fine  low-side  chair  with  the  same 
turning.  The  seat  also  is  not  uncommon  with  arm 
chairs.  By  omitting  to  chamfer  the  under  edge  of  the 
seat,  a clumsy  effect  is  produced.  The  humor  of  the 
chair  is  largely  in  this  omission. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare,  possibly  unique. 

Owned  by  Mrs.  Annie  B.  Hunter,  Freehold,  N.  J. 


Analogous  Furniture 

One  who  possesses  a number  of  good  Windsors  meets  the  ques- 
tion of  securing  other  furniture  that  will  not  clash  with  Windsors. 
Maple  beds  and  tables,  open  dressers,  and  any  eighteenth  century- 
turned  furniture  is  suitable.  Footstools  of  the  Windsor  style  add 
much  to  the  charm  of  a room  and  are  always  convenient  for  young 
or  old  members  of  the  family.  Braided  or  drawn-in  rugs,  pine  pipe 
boxes,  small  wall  cupboards  and  iron,  rather  than  brass,  fireplace 
furniture  are  complementary  features. 

Mahogany  or  the  effort  to  imitate  it  in  color  is  to  be  avoided 
with  Windsors,  for  it  spoils  their  simple,  unpretentious  charm. 
Further,  no  Windsor  can  be  made  strong  in  mahogany  without 
using  too  much  wood  for  good  style.  The  consequence  is  that  we 
see  in  shops  mahogany  Windsors  clumsy  and  coarse  as  compared 
with  the  hickory  and  maple,  the  proper  strong,  simple  woods. 


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A Windsor  Handbook 


Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit : Slight  and  neither  in  turnings  nor  seat,  but 
Peculiar  in  the  almost  half-circular  concave  of  the  comb. 
Occurrence  of  comb  rare;  otherwise  quite  ordinary. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newburyport,  Mass. 


Seat  Shapes 

On  page  115  are  shown  a half  dozen  diagrams  of  Windsor  seats. 
All  of  them  are  typical  and  not  very  rare.  The  seat  of  the  chair 
on  page  8 is  far  finer  than  the  “best  large  arm  chair.”  The  tail- 
piece shown  is  usually  narrower  than  this  at  the  seat  and  widens  as 
it  grows.  The  settee-shaped  seat  is  quite  generally  very  large, 
really  ample  for  a giant.  It  was  the  answer  to  a deep  feeling  on 
the  part  of  a big  man  to  sit  at  ease  when  his  day’s  work  was  done. 
The  seat  called  a “good  late  side  chair”  is  the  shape  usually  found 
in  the  bamboo  type,  a serious  decline,  but  still  good,  and  so  far  as 
the  seat  itself  is  concerned  it  is  very  good.  The  “degraded  side 
chair”  is  the  last  and  worst  thing,  such  as  was  reached  around 
1830-1840,  and  still  survives  in  modern  chairs  that  are  called 
Windsor. 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  Slight.  The  spread  of  the  back  is  wide,  but  the 
legs  lack  slant,  being  set  too  near  the  comers  of  the 
seat.  Had  they  been  placed  correctly,  and  more  boldly 
turned,  the  chair  would  be  desirable.  This  chair  is 
shown  to  indicate  what  to  avoid  and  to  point  out  what 
to  seek. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Not  very  unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
32  Green  St.,  Newburyport,  Mass. 


Lost  Examples 

Several  varieties  of  Windsors  are  either  entirely  lost  or  exist 
only  as  unique  pieces. 

Good  “love  seats”  are  extremely  rare,  and  none  that  is  of  the 
best  type  is  known  to  remain.  The  same  may  be  said  of  six-legged 
settees.  Only  one  or  two  perfectly  shaped  eight-  and  ten-leggers 
remain. 

Absolutely  satisfactory  writing  chairs  there  may  be,  but  prob- 
ably they  are  so  only  in  the  opinion  of  their  owners.  The  perfect 
four-back  chair  has  never  been  shown  in  museums.  It  may  exist. 
When  two  hundred  dollars  was  recently  offered  and  declined  for  a 
very  fine  settee  one  may  be  sure  such  pieces  stand  practically  alone. 

Fine  footstools  and  high  stools  are  extremely  rare.  A set  of  six 
curved-stretcher  side  chairs  is  being  held  for  three  hundred  dollars. 
Only  individual  side  chairs  of  fine  type  are  still  to  be  had  in  num- 
bers, with  fairly  common  double-bow  backs  of  the  simple  light  type, 
and  an  occasional  comb-back  of  good  quality. 


143 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Some  of  the  set  of  six  have  had  some  back 
legs  renewed  and  in  one  or  two  cases  old  legs  are  spliced. 

Merit:  High,  considering  the  fine,  early,  fat  turnings,  com- 
bined with  the  brace  back.  The  ears  would  be  better 
if  a little  longer. 

Date : Early. 

Occurrence:  Rare,  as  a set. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Wentworth-Gardner 
House,  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 

The  ear  when  not  carved  is  sometimes  called  a horn;  the  term 
“horn-back  chair”  is  sometimes  heard  in  northern  New  England 


Braced  Fan-backs 

This  sort  of  chair  is  perhaps  the  most  graceful  among  side  chairs, 
and  it  is  rare.  For  some  reason  the  bow-back  is  more  usual.  In  a 
small  room  the  fan-back  ears  are  apt  to  be  in  the  way.  The  bow- 
back  is  no  doubt  the  earlier  style.  The  fan-back  was  the  more 
easily  constructed,  and  more  durable.  Even  when  the  ear  is  not 
carved,  it  is,  if  small,  attractive  and  very  convenient  as  the  tem- 
porary hook  for  a hat  or  garment. 

Fan-back  chairs  as  a remedy  for  colic  may  seem  a startling  sug- 
gestion. But  the  writer  has  more  than  once  seen  husky  farmers 
double  themselves  like  clothes  on  a line,  over  fan  backs,  while  they 
rolled  the  sharp  edges  back  and  forth  over  the  offending  seat  of 
colic.  Their  information  is  that  the  remedy  is  unfailing.  It  is  here 
set  forth  as  a suggestion,  there  being  no  extra  charge  for  the  pre- 
scription. One  more  reason  to  love  the  Windsor  chair!  We  would 
point  out  that  the  scroll  shape  of  the  top-rail  on  the  opposite  page 
seems  fitted  to  reach  the  seat  of  the  difficulty.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  experiment  faithfully  followed  would  cure  the 
rugged,  and  Windsor  chairs  were  not  made  for  weaklings,  anyway. 


145 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Apparently  original. 

Merit:  Moderate.  But  the  piece  is  very  interesting  as 
an  experiment.  Its  great  oddity  is  the  omission  of 
heavy  outside  spindles.  It  is  built  up  as  if  it  were 
merely  a comb!  The  bracing  spindles  would  indeed 
save  the  back  from  weakness.  Possibly  the  unusual 
and  extremely  wide  tailpiece  had  something  to  do  with 
that  thought.  The  seat  also  is  odd,  suggesting  the 
English,  and  without  side  ramp. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  J.  B.  Kerfoot,  Freehold,  N.  J. 


The  Weak  Point  in  Windsors 

It  is  the  back.  This  weakness  is  nicely  overcome  by  the  braced 
back,  and  in  arm  chairs  the  arms  stiffen  the  back.  The  only  way 
to  secure  strength  in  an  unsupported  back  was  by  the  use  of  elastic 
woods,  otherwise  a strain  would  mean  a break  somewhere.  Well 
selected  hickory  or  oak  will  bear  a far  greater  strain  than  is  ever 
likely  to  be  put  upon  it,  and  what  is  better  will  spring  to  fit  the 
strain.  This  is  the  peculiar  merit  of  the  American  Windsor.  If 
the  chair  falls  over,  its  back  will  spring  and  not  give  way,  and  the 
lighter  it  is  the  less  likely  is  it  to  meet  disaster.  This  feature  is 
unique  in  chair  styles  and  can  hardly  be  overemphasized.  The 
idea  of  a springy  grill  is  really  of  double  purpose  — to  add  to  com- 
fort and  to  resist  abuse. 


147 


A VARIANT  OF  CHAIR  ON  PAGE  134 


Pennsylvania  Fan-back 

Condition:  Fine,  but  legs  are  cut  down. 

Merit:  Moderate.  Spindles  too  coarse.  Comb  fine. 

Date:  Early  to  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  32  Green  Street,  Newbury- 
port,  Mass. 


149 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Rail  mended,  but  all  original  and  strong. 

Merit:  High.  Seat  good;  turnings  good,  with  hollowed 
taper  near  the  bottom  of  legs.  Nine  spindles  and  a 
high  back,  but  plain  ears. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Unusual. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Wentworth-Gardner 
House,  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 


Spacing  of  Spindles 

The  chair  opposite  is  a good  example  of  the  added  attractiveness 
of  numerous  spindles,  as  well  as  added  comfort.  It  is  obvious  that 
the  more  spindles  the  greater  is  the  comfort,  only  it  must  also  be 
borne  in  mind  that  as  spindles  increase  in  number  they  should  de- 
crease in  size,  otherwise  the  back  will  be  too  stiff,  and  so  counteract 
the  very  effect  sought. 

The  space  of  two  inches  is  all  that  should  ever  be  allowed  be- 
tween centers  of  spindles  at  the  seat,  and  an  inch  and  three  quarters 
is  the  least  space  allowable.  This  slight  difference  varies  the  effect 
greatly.  The  close  spacing  allows  a fan  spread  higher  up  without 
separating  the  spindles  there  so  that  each  appears  lonely. 

The  size  of  the  hole  in  the  seat  should  never  exceed  seven  six- 
teenths of  an  inch  and  never  be  less  than  three  eighths  of  an  inch. 


5 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Fan-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  Very  high  indeed.  An  almost  perfect  specimen  of 
light  side  chair.  The  turnings  are  especially  fine. 
Notice  the  true  vase  shapes  and  the  deep  cuts,  which 
give  emphasis  to  the  bulbs.  The  only  thing  we  could 
ask  which  we  have  not  in  this  chair,  is  carved  ears. 
The  seat  is  perfect,  and  the  concavity  of  the  fan  top, 
or  rail,  sufficient  to  give  comfort  and  grace.  The  chair 
is  airily  light. 

Peculiar  in  the  very  fine  point  to  which  the  feet  run 
down. 

Date:  Best  middle  period. 

Owned  by  Mrs.  M.  E.  Welles,  Wethersfield,  Conn. 


Fine  Points  of  Style 

In  the  chair  opposite  the  seat  shows  the  middle  period  by  being 
left  somewhat  high  at  the  sides  in  front  and  hollowed  under  the 
sitter’s  legs.  This  is  a handsome  effect  — more  so  than  the  earlier 
type.  If,  however,  the  hollowing  of  the  seat  is  strongly  done,  and 
the  legs  are  placed  well  in  from  the  sides  they  must  pierce  the  seat, 
as  they  will  occur  in  its  thin  portion.  This  chair  is  somewhat  of  a 
compromise. 

The  bottoms  of  the  legs  in  any  good  Windsor  side  chair  extend 
well  beyond  the  seat,  vertically  considered.  Hence  the  Windsor, 
in  addition  to  being  the  lightest  chair,  is  also  the  most  stable  on 
its  base. 

There  is  a wonderful  likeness  in  the  chair  opposite  between  the 
turnings  of  the  legs  and  the  side  spindles.  It  is  this  thoughtful 
matching  of  styles  which  gives  a chair  great  charm. 


153 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Fan-back  with  Comb 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit : High,  as  the  little  comb  is  not  only  a convenient 
head  rest,  but  adds  much  to  the  grace  and  quaintness 
of  the  chair.  Indeed,  one  at  first  wonders  why  more 
chairs  were  not  made  this  way,  till  one  sees  readily  that 
the  same  thoughtfulness  that  suggested  this  chair  would 
carry  one  on  to  add  also  the  arm  in  which  form  we 
usually  find  it. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Date:  Early. 

Owned  by  E.  R.  Lemon,  Wayside  Inn,  So.  Sudbury,  Mass. 


A Comparison 

Had  the  next  previous  chair  had  nine  light  spindles  and  a sec- 
ondary comb,  lower  than  the  chair  opposite,  the  result  would  have 
been  very  beautiful  — a perfect  expression  of  the  best  Windsor 
features  in  their  daintiest  form.  Probably  no  such  exquisite  speci- 
men exists. 

A question  about  carving  arises  both  in  this  chair  and  in  the 
arm  chair  with  double  or  tandem  combs.  In  the  only  specimen  the 
writer  has  seen  of  carving  on  both  sets  of  ears  it  seems  rather  over- 
done. It  would  seem  to  be  in  more  subdued  taste  to  carve  only 
one  set  of  ears,  which  set  seems  immaterial. 

The  height  of  the  secondary  comb  should  be  sufficient  to  form  a 
head  rest.  Anything  higher  would  seem  grotesque  and  top  heavy. 
In  this  instance  a somewhat  higher  lower  comb  and  consequent 
shortening  of  the  secondary  comb  would  have  added  grace. 


155 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Bow-back,  Seven-spindle  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  Moderate.  Comparing  it  with  other  chairs,  one 
sees  that  it  falls  behind  the  best  bamboo  in  character, 
in  the  number  of  the  spindles  and  the  lack  of  the  bulb 
on  them;  also  in  the  slightly  inferior  legs. 

Date:  Late  period. 

Occurrence:  Common. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Framingham  Center,  Mass. 

The  horseshoe  back  is  graceful  in  the  drawn-in  sides,  before  the 
bow  enters  the  seat.  Also  the  seat  is  well  formed. 


Good  Late  Chairs 

This  sort  of  chair,  and  that  immediately  following,  have  the  best 
general  contour  of  the  late  Windsors.  To  be  consistent,  however, 
and  in  better  style,  the  spindles  should  be  turned  in  bamboo  fashion, 
as  in  the  chair  on  page  66.  Thus  the  legs,  stretchers  and  backs 
would  agree. 

The  bamboo  turning  of  the  underbody  is  undoubtedly  a very 
great  declension  from  the  beauty  of  the  vase  style  of  turning.  In 
part  good  makers  made  up  for  the  falling  away  from  grace  by 
carrying  the  bamboo  effect  into  the  upper  body.  Thus  the  pure 
bamboo  chair  is  harmonious  throughout,  whereas  the  vase  turning 
of  the  finer  type  has  no  repeated  element  in  the  upper  body  to 
correlate  all  the  parts  of  the  chair. 

The  stretcher  on  the  chair  before  us  looks  precisely  like  a piece 
of  bamboo,  but  unhappily  the  legs  are  less  perfect  and  the  top  for- 
gets the  idea  altogether. 


157 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Nine-spindle,  Bow-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine.  A set  of  six,  one  of  which  has  had  a bow 
mended. 

Merit : High  for  the  period,  owing  to  the  perfection  of  the 
back,  and  the  good  seat,  and  the  good  taste  of  the  bam- 
boo of  the  underbody.  The  back  is  a fine  example  of  fan 
spacing,  and  the  bow  has  an  attractive  in-sweep  at  the 
sides  characteristic  of  the  middle  period.  The  spindles 
appear  to  have  been  hand-shaped.  If  we  are  to  have 
the  bamboo  turning  of  legs,  this  is  a good  example. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Not  very  unusual  for  single  specimens;  rare 
for  a set  of  six. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Webb-Washington  House, 
Wethersfield,  Conn. 


Constructional  Terms 

Dowel.  The  rounding  of  the  end  of  a piece  of  wood  as  of  the 
end  of  the  bow  so  rounded  to  enter  a bored  hole  in  the  seat  is  some- 
times called  a dowel.  Broken  or  shortened  legs  are  repaired  or 
extended  by  running  a true  dowel  into  the  two  portions  to  be  joined. 

Pin.  The  name  of  the  little  hardwood  pieces  which  pass  through 
the  bow  and  the  top  of  a spindle  and  secure  the  top,  reinforcing 
or  dispensing  with  glue. 

Stretcher  mark.  A fine  turned  line  on  the  leg  to  mark  the  spot 
where  the  stretcher  is  to  enter.  This  is  incised  on  the  lathe  to 
secure  uniformity  and  save  subsequent  measurement. 

Glue  groove.  The  groove  turned  near  the  ends  of  stretchers  and 
tops  of  legs  to  hold  the  glue  as  they  are  driven  home. 


159 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Curved  Stretcher  Bow-back 

Condition:  Fine. 

Merit:  High.  It  consists  largely  in  the  construction  of 
the  underbody,  with  a curved  stretcher  in  front  and 
spoke-like  stretchers  meeting  it  from  the  rear.  The 
shape  was  probably  called  out  by  the  curved  bows  of 
the  upper  part  of  the  chair  giving  the  suggestion  of  the 
curved  stretcher.  Like  many  inventions  it  may  have 
come  by  accident.  The  bow  and  the  seat  are  graceful, 
and  the  chair  is  large. 

Date:  Late  period. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  H.  Hilliard  Smith,  Hartford,  Conn. 

The  chair  is  large  enough  for  an  arm  chair.  A feature  of  great 

rarity  is  the  carving  on  the  bow  in  the  form  of  an  interrupted  flute. 

Chairs  with  the  curved  stretcher  are  the  greatest  rarity  and  are 

much  sought  for. 


The  Lore  of  the  W indsor 

The  lure  is  a larger  subject  than  the  lore.  The  writer  has  sought 
to  gather  in  this  handbook  all  that  is  known  of  the  Windsor,  but 
it  is  astonishing  how  little  that  all  is.  If  the  reader  will,  however, 
observe  the  suggestions  made,  he  will  be  saved  from  being  an  easy 
mark  for  the  faker.  At  present  many  new  to  collecting  are  buying 
with  avidity  chairs  made  for  and  only  worthy  of  the  kitchen  and 
placing  them  in  positions  of  honor.  They  are  also  buying  new 
chairs  for  Windsors  which  are  not  so.  Under  the  stimulus  of 
fashion  they  forget  that  a new-fashioned  shape  cannot  give  satis- 
faction, because  our  fathers  tried  every  conceivable  variety  of 
turned  stick-leg  furniture.  No  graceful  line  has  been  added.  We 
would  beseech  buyers  to  take  care  lest  the  result  of  zeal  without 
taste  should  be  ridiculous. 


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A Windsor  Handbook 


Nine-spindle,  X-Stretcher  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original,  barring  slightly 
shortened  legs. 

Merit:  The  back  is  good,  the  seat  well  ramped  but  lack- 
ing saddle;  turnings  poor;  but  an  interesting  pecul- 
iarity is  an  X stretcher  of  great  oddity  and  really 
amusing  in  its  originality.  One  of  the  stretchers  was 
made  large  enough  to  allow  the  other  to  pass  through  it. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare;  possibly  this  very  form  of  stretcher 
is  unique. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


The  X Stretcher 

The  question  whether  the  X stretcher  is  desirable  bears  looking 
into.  It  cannot  have  balance,  as  appears  in  this  chair,  where  one 
stretcher  is  different  from  the  other.  Most  readers  will  agree  that 
the  bulbous  stretchers  arranged  as  usual  in  the  form  of  an  H are  a 
feature  of  no  little  attraction.  Probably  also  the  ordinary  stretcher 
is  somewhat  stronger,  as  it  enables  the  leg  to  resist  side  strain. 

There  is  an  X-stretcher  Windsor  in  possession  of  Trinity  Col- 
lege, Hartford;  but  such  chairs  seem  not  to  have  won  popularity. 
A symmetry  now  lacking  in  the  X stretcher  is  said  to  have  been 
attained  by  running  four  stretchers  into  a small  hub,  neatly  turned, 
but  the  writer  has  not  seen  such  a chair. 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Braced  Circular-back,  Arm  Windsor 

Condition:  The  feet  below  the  turnings  have  been  spliced ; 
and  the  left  arm  is  not  original. 

Merit:  As  a Windsor,  depends  on  the  definition.  If  a 
chair  can  be  a Windsor  without  a spindle  back,  ex- 
cept for  the  bracing  spindles,  then  this  chair  is  of  high 
merit,  for  it  is  very  attractive.  The  turnings  are  fine. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  regarding  the  originality  of  the 
back  as  there  are  no  holes  in  seat  or  bow  where  spindles 
have  been.  The  chair  is  thoughtfully  made  and  is  no 
mere  freak.  Apparently  the  maker  derived  his  sug- 
gestion from  a mahogany  chair,  perhaps  a Heppel- 
white.  The  flattened  spindle  or  splat  was  decorated. 

Date:  Early  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Perhaps  unique.  Certainly  the  writer  never 
saw  its  like. 

Owned  by  William  F.  Hubbard,  Hartford,  Conn. 

A branded  name  is  sometimes  found  on  the  under  side  of  a 
Windsor  seat,  but  usually  on  late  chairs.  Advertisements  of 
Windsors  showing  rather  crude  cuts  are  found  in  newspapers  dur- 
ing the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  mostly  about  the  time 
of  the  Revolution.  They  show  good  vase  turnings.  These  notices 
are  in  sufficient  numbers  to  prove  the  widespread  use  of  the  style. 
Many  thousands  of  Windsors  have  been  consumed  as  firewood, 
along  with  more  pretentious  furniture. 


A Windsor  Handbook 


“Sheraton”  Back,  Double-rail  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  The  turnings  of  the  underbody  are  good  for  the 
bamboo  type,  but  were  not  carried  out  in  the  back. 
An  added  feature  is  a bulb  to  receive  the  lower  member 
of  the  double  rail,  and  a top-rail  which  is  sustained  by 
overlapping  the  outside  spindles.  The  middle  stretcher 
is  too  small  for  the  side  stretchers.  The  chair  has  some 
attractiveness. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  E.  R.  Lemon,  Wayside  Inn,  South  Sudbury, 
Mass. 


^ _ Furniture  Labels 

P /66 

This  chai^V bearing  a label  on  the  under  side  of  the  seat,  affords 
an  opportunity  to  study  dates.  The  labels  on  furniture  are  rare, 
but  when  found  are  important  and  highly  interesting.  This  label 
is  from  an  engraved  plate  of  good  size,  though  a part  of  the  paper 
has  rubbed  through,  but  there  remains  to  serve  as  a frame  for  the 
text  a handsome  and  elaborate  high  post  bed,  with  fine  draped 
canopy,  of  the  Chippendale  period.  At  each  side  are  chairs,  ap- 
parently upholstered  Chippendales.  The  reading  matter  is  between 
the  posts  to  this  effect: 

“Richard  Jr.,  Upholsterer  Makes  Couches 

easy  chairs,  French  chairs,  Bedsteads,  chusin  [sic]  seat 

chairs,  puts  up  trimming,  silk,  tapestry,  paper  Hangings 

New  York  1771 

Orders  (?)  from  Country  and  beyond  the  sea  carefully  executed." 

Before  the  “New  York”  was  a name  probably  of  the  engraver 
and  this  line  apparently  applies  to  the  date  when  the  label  was 
made,  rather  than  when  the  chair  was  made.  We  see,  therefore, 
that  these  fine,  almost  ideal  turnings  were  made  at  least  about  as 
late  as  the  Revolution.  Reasoning  forward  in  time  and  comparing 
other  chairs  of  approximately  known  date,  it  is  highly  probable 
the  label  was  used  in  this  case  in  the  decade  in  which  it  was  made. 


167 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Cut-arm,  Bow-back  Windsor 

Condition:  Fine,  original  except  possible  slight  shortening. 

Merit:  Chiefly  in  its  peculiarity  of  the  cut  arm.  The  ob- 
ject was  undoubtedly  to  secure  a light,  strong  con- 
struction with  an  arm  but  (a)  without  carrying  a rail 
around  the  back  and  (b)  without  a weak  attachment 
of  arm  to  a spindle  in  the  usual  way.  The  result  was 
a chair,  simple,  easy  to  make,  light  and  strong. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


Size  of  Windsor  Seats 

Very  early  side  chairs  had  a width  of  seat  of  sixteen  and  a half 
to  seventeen  inches,  at  the  widest  point,  while  the  piece  was  or- 
dinarily made  of  a two-inch  plank,  and  was  left  fully  or  nearly  that 
at  the  thickest  parts  when  finished,  to  give  the  necessary  strength. 
The  depth  (front  to  back)  varied  greatly,  but  less  than  fifteen 
inches  is  too  shallow  and  more  than  twenty-one  inches  too  deep 
for  comfort  or  style. 

The  width  of  arm  chairs  may  run  to  twenty-five  inches  or  any 
comfortable  proportion. 

The  great  variety  in  size  of  seats  even  for  grown  persons  indicates 
that  chairs  were  often  made  to  order  and  possibly  even  to  measure! 
In  some  neighborhoods  a side  chair  with  a small  seat  is  called  a 
“lady  chair.” 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Heavy,  Low-backed  Windsor 

Condition:  Good. 

Merit:  Chiefly  in  that  it  is 

Peculiar  in  the  arms  and  legs.  It  also  carries  a stretcher 
behind.  The  turnings  and  curved-arm  supports  are 
in  English  style. 

Date:  Difficult  to  fix.  We  feel  that  the  setting  of  the  legs 
so  near  the  comers  points  at  least  to  an  English  model. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


Factory  Windsors 

The  writer  recently  visited  a large  modern  Windsor  factory, 
filled  with  many  thousands  of  chairs.  The  backs  were  about  as 
good  as  could  well  be  produced  at  the  selling  price,  which  did  not 
admit  of  refinement.  But  a great  improvement  of  the  underbody 
was  easily  possible  without  increasing  the  cost.  The  exhibit  was  a 
proof  that  the  public  is  not  discriminating;  that  few  seek  after 
beauty  of  line. 

In  fact  in  the  faculty  room  of  a great  American  University  the 
chairs  — and  there  are  many  — are  reproductions  of  the  poorer 
English  type,  and  quite  discreditable  to  the  management.  Yet  this 
university  has  many  professors  teaching  arts,  crafts,  design,  archi- 
tecture, etc.  One  of  our  greatest  public  libraries  is  also  furnished 
by  a notable  firm  of  architects  with  chairs  of  mongrel  pattern  and 
bad  construction,  weak  where  they  should  be  strong,  and  extremely 
clumsy  and  heavy  in  the  arms. 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Double  Turned-Rail  Comb-back 

Condition:  Legs  cut  down  and  rockers  added. 

Merit:  This  bamboo-turned  chair  lacks  much  grace  in  the 
underbody  like  those  of  its  period.  There  is  an  odd 
comb,  with  sprung  spindles. 

Date:  Very  late. 

Occurrence:  Of  comb  rare,  otherwise  common. 

Owned  by  Rhode  Island  School  of  Design,  Provi- 
dence, R.  I. 


Where  Windsors  Were  Made 

It  is  not  known  how  the  American  Windsor  was  developed,  but 
it  originated  in  Philadelphia.  It  is  rare  in  the  South  and,  if  found,  is 
an  obvious  importation  from  the  North.  The  term  “Southern"  ap- 
plied to  Windsor,  therefore,  means,  or  should  mean,  a Pennsylva- 
nian or  New  Jersey  origin.  The  straight  taper  below  the  turning 
on  the  leg  is  a New  England  feature,  except  in  Rhode  Island,  where 
the  taper  is  concaved. 

The  writer  has  found  very  few  Windsors  south  of  the  Potomac, 
and  those  few  could  often  be  traced  to  northern  origin.  English 
Windsors,  except  of  recent  importation,  are  rare  in  America,  for 
the  reason  that  as  a rule  only  fine  furniture  was  imported,  the 
simpler  sorts  being  made  here. 

Jersey  Windsors  followed  generally  the  Philadelphia  types,  with 
minor  local  peculiarities. 


173 


^Windsor  Handbook 


Bow-back  Windsor 

Merit:  This  piece  is  included  as  an  oddity  and  a sugges- 
tion which  shows  that  the  builders  of  Windsors  ex- 
perimented long  to  find  a graceful  effect.  For  instance, 
had  this  chair  had  from  one  to  three  more  spindles  and 
a consequent  widening  of  the  back  we  should  have  the 
type  settled  upon  by  the  usual  maker. 

The  stool  or  cricket  calls  our  attention  to  the  fact 
that  most  stools  are  Windsors.  In  this  case  the  idea 
is  well  carried  out  with  the  side  and  middle  stretchers. 

Date:  Late. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


The  Bead  on  Windsor  Bows 

It  usually  consists  of  two  fine  grooves  cut  on  the  front  face  of 
the  bow,  one  near  each  edge.  In  rare  instances  the  entire  space  is 
covered  by  a single  wide  flute  or  concave.  In  poor  modern  repro- 
ductions where  the  bow  is  too  heavy  this  flute  has  been  overworked 
and  enlarged  until  it  bears  no  semblance  to  the  proper  style. 

The  back  of  the  bow  is  usually  rounded  to  give  lightness.  Oc- 
casionally we  find  a bow  of  a perfectly  round  section,  especially  as 
the  second  bow  on  light  arm  chairs,  but  the  style  is  not  so  good. 

Breaks  in  the  bow  at  the  point  of  spindle  borings  are  common. 
They  could  only  be  avoided  by  careful  selection  of  straight-grained 
wood,  and  more  careful  bending. 

The  bow  passed  entirely  through  the  boring  in  the  seat  and  was 
secured  by  wedging.  The  spindles  seldom  passed  entirely  through 
the  seat.  To  find  them  passing  through  is  to  excite  the  suspicion 
of  a new  back. 


175 


Flat-spindled  or  One-piece  Bow-and- 
“Sheraton”  Windsor  arm  Comb-back 


Condition:  Somewhat  poor. 

Merit:  Ordinary.  Has  the  side 
back  spindles  extended  be- 
yond the  others. 

Date:  Very  late. 

Occurrence:  Common. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting, 
32  Green  St.,  Newburyport, 
Mass. 


Condition:  Cut  off  for  rockers. 

Merit:  The  top  is  graceful.  The 
underbody  the  ordinary  late 
bamboo  turning,  with  no 
character. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Common. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting, 
Newburyport,  Mass. 


176 


Ten-legged,  Triple-bow-back  Settee 

Condition:  Fine  and  practically  original. 

Merit:  The  highest.  The  turnings  of  the  legs  are  perfect 
for  the  medium  weight.  The  ramp  and  scroll  of  the 
arms  are  very  handsome.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the 
middle  bow  has  nine  spindles  and  the  side  bows  seven 
each,  and  that  these  are  all  arranged  with  a fan  spread. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Extremely  rare. 

Owned  by  Victor  A.  Sykes,  Hartford,  Conn. 


Dream  Settees 

The  above  piece  was  taken  to  the  last  world’s  fair  and  is  the  best 
the  writer  has  seen.  Yet  there  are  what  he  must  call  dream  settees. 
For  instance,  there  is  said  to  be  one  with  the  back  bows  extending 
to  the  seat.  And  the  informant  had  seen  it.  Another  had  seen  a 
braced-back  settee!  These  are  things  to  unearth  for  a future  edi- 
tion. Meantime  the  present  piece  and  the  one  following  are  in- 
teresting enough  to  cause  danger  of  infringing  the  tenth  command- 
ment. And  they  are  handsome  enough  to  cause  the  inquiry,  why 
don’t  we  find  “love  seats”  of  this  type?  How  utterly  charming 
they  would  be! 


77 


Three-bow-back,  Eight-legged  Settee 


Condition:  In  this  plate  recent  diagonal  braces  have  been 
worked  off.  As  may  be  seen  three  rear  legs  are  sub- 
stitutes. 


Merit:  The  highest,  owing  to  the  general  design,  the 
closely  set  spindles,  the  high  bows,  and  the  excellent 
arms. 


Peculiar  in  the  great  width  of  the  seat,  a full  two  feet,  just 
a third  of  the  length.  Compare  this  with  the  previous 
plate,  showing  ten  legs  in  which  it  appears  that  for 
symmetry  an  eight  legger  must  as  in  this  case  have  all 
its  legs  rake. 

Date:  Early. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare  indeed. 

Owned  by  the  Misses  Mabel  and  Eleanor  Johnson  of 
Hartford,  Conn. 


The  bows  of  the  back  are  halved  into  each  other  where  they 
cross,  and  the  center  bow  is  higher  than  the  side  bows.  Also  the 
spindles  under  each  bow  are  made  in  reference  to  it,  spreading  in 
delicate  curves,  thus  giving  a “three-chair  back”  as  real  as  in  a 
Chippendale  settee. 


178 


Merit:  Very  high.  The  back  is  well  done.  The  center 
spindle,  matching  those  at  the  ends,  gives  pleasing 
distinction.  The  style  of  the  arms,  however,  shows  a 
latish  date,  and  a decadence  from  the  style  which  has 
a sidewise  scroll  and  a turned  spindle  at  the  front, 
corresponding  with  that  at  the  back.  The  legs,  while 
well  turned  for  bamboo,  especially  the  stretchers,  do 
not  win  upon  us  like  the  earlier  turnings. 


Date:  Late. 


Occurrence:  Rare.  This  piece  passed  out  of  the  hands  of 
the  writer,  to  his  great  present  regret,  before  he  began 
to  collect  or  value  Windsors. 


Ownership  not  known. 

There  has  been  a recent  strong  revival  of  the  Windsor  settee. 
Its  appropriateness  on  our  long  modern  porches  has  made  itself 
observed.  The  length  of  its  back  allows  some  play  of  taste.  Thus 
we  have  in  the  settees  the  two  types,  bow  and  fan,  which  we  found 
in  the  chairs. 


Scroll-back,  Ten-legged  Settee 


Condition:  Fine,  one  slight  mend  at  connection  of  an  arm 
with  end  spindle. 


179 


Ten-legged,  Heavy  Low-backed  Settee 

Condition:  Fine,  original. 

Merit:  Moderate.  It  is  pleasing,  but  simple  and  without 
distinction. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Fairly  common. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Cutler-Bartlet  House, 
Newbury  port,  Mass. 


The  Windsor  Settee 

This  naturally  developed  from  the  chair,  just  as  other  styles  of 
settees  were  derived  from  corresponding  styles  of  chairs. 

One  form  has  a heavy  back  continuous  with  the  arms,  which  in 
the  better  styles  are  scrolled  and  wrought  into  knuckle  ends.  The 
same  remarks  made  regarding  style  in  the  turning  of  the  chair 
apply  to  the  settee.  The  attraction  of  the  settee  rests  largely  upon 
its  presence  with  a set  of  chairs.  The  mind  is  thus  led  along  to  feel 
the  effort  at  harmonious  style  through  the  different  articles  of 
furniture. 


180 


Six-legged  Settee 

Condition:  Good  and  original  except  for  cleat  under  one 
end,  and  possible  shortening  of  legs. 

Merit:  A graceful  piece.  Legs  of  ordinary  merit,  stretchers 
unusually  good. 

Peculiar  in  the  attachment  of  the  arms.  The  bow  of  the 
back  runs  down  into  the  seat  and  the  arms  are  attached 
by  a long  splice  to  the  bow.  Arms  are  very  neatly 
carved. 

Date:  Late,  as  shown  by  bamboo  of  front  arm  spindles, 
and  the  legs. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  Thomas  B.  Clark,  New  York  City,  N.  Y. 


The  Short  Settee 

This  style  has  won  strongly  on  the  imagination  of  lovers  of 
Windsors.  It  would  be  too  much  to  peer  into  the  mind  of  the 
original  maker,  but  doubtless  he  “had  his  reasons."  These  court- 
ing chairs  are  much  sought  for,  not  only  owing  to  the  name  but  be- 
cause they  are  not  too  long  to  serve  with  chairs  to  form  sets.  The 
longer  settees  are  better  adapted  to  the  hall  or  a porch. 

181 


Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original,  except  long 
stretchers  which  do  not  match  the  end  stretchers. 

Merit:  High.  The  piece  has  a style  all  its  own.  The  seat 
is  finely  shaped  as  a double  saddle.  The  turnings  of 
the  legs  are  odd  but  end  with  the  blunt  arrow.  The 
turnings  of  the  spindles  are  also  elaborate.  These  spindles 
match  the  large  arm  spindle  except  for  size.  The  arms 
sweep  well  out,  but  are  not  carved.  Pennsylvanian. 

Pecidiar  especially  in  its  comb  back,  extremely  rare,  lack- 
ing ears,  however. 

Date:  Probably  early  period. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare,  possibly  unique. 

Owned  by  Mrs.  Wm.  Raedake,  Providence,  R.  I. 

182 


Low-back  Love  Seat 

Condition:  The  curious  legs  are  hard  to  understand,  as 
they  differ  so  entirely  from  the  front  arm  Spindle. 

Merit:  The  piece  has  a heavy  arm,  without  carving,  but 
the  seat  is  cut  with  a double  saddle.  The  legs  are 
slightly  fluted  on  the  taper.  They  are  unsatisfactory. 

Date:  Middle  period,  probably. 

Occurrence:  Rare. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


183 


“Sheraton”  Back  Late  Windsor  Settee 

(one  of  a pair) 

Condition:  Fine  and  original. 

Merit:  Slight,  but  nevertheless  the  piece  is  interesting. 
Obviously  it  was  made  by  one  who  had  seen  a Sheraton 
chair  back.  The  arrangement  of  the  legs  is  also  in- 
teresting, being  merely  two  chair  bases  set  at  the  ends. 
The  turning  is  bamboo  throughout;  the  seat  is  ramped 
at  the  end;  but  the  piece  is  odd  in  having  no  arms. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Rare,  possibly  unique. 

Ownership:  Photograph  supplied  by  C.  R.  Morson, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

184 


Also  called  John  and  Priscilla  chair,  courting  chair, 
short  settee,  double-seated  Windsor,  and  in  Connecticut 
sometimes  even  wagon  chair  — but  wholly  without 
warrant. 

Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original,  except  some 
slight  reduction  of  the  feet,  and  a caveat  as  to  the  long 
stretcher. 

Merit:  High.  Though  the  seat  is  plain  and  the  leg  turn- 
ings not  the  deepest,  the  back  shape  is  good,  and  the 
piece  very  worthy. 

Date:  Middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 

185 


“ Sheraton  ” Square-back  “ Love  Seat  ” 


Condition:  Fine  and  apparently  original. 

Merit:  Moderate  but  good  of  its  type.  The  style  of  the 
back,  the  plainness  of  the  spindles  and  legs,  the  arms, 
precursors  of  the  “Boston  rocker”  all  indicate  a 

Date:  Very  late. 

Occurrence:  Rare  as  are  all  “love  seats.” 

Owned  by  Rhode  Island  School  of  Design,  Provi- 
dence, R.  I. 

Compare  this  piece  with  the  chair  on  page  76. 

186 


A Windsor  Handbook 


High  Desk,  Turned-rail  Windsor 

Condition:  Good.  The  front  rung  appears  as  if  renewed. 

Merit:  Not  classifiable.  Bamboo  turnings,  plain  seat  (as 
often  in  late  types)  but 

Peculiar  and  really  humorous  in  its  grand-pa-long-legs 
effect. 

Date:  Late. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  Arthur  Leslie  Green,  Weaver  House,  New- 
port, R.  I. 


The  Child’s  High  Chair 

The  quaintness  and  merit  of  a Windsor  high  chair  is  largely  in 
the  wide  splay  of  the  legs.  There  was  no  danger  of  such  a chair 
tipping  over,  however  obstreperous  its  occupant  might  be!  Compare 
their  style  and  dignity  with  the  latest,  lightest  type  on  page  104. 
In  this  latter  the  poor  fan  top  was  the  easiest  way  out  as  a substi- 
tute for  the  fine  bow  or  ear. 


High  Stools 

Such  stools  are  very  common  in  shops,  before  or  behind  counters, 
and  are  Windsors,  though  of  a much-debased  type.  If  there  ever 
was  a graceful  example  the  writer  has  never  seen  it. 

Maud  Muller's  milking  stool  was  a true  Windsor,  and  its  handle 
was  an  extension  of  the  seat  like  the  tailpiece  of  an  extension-back 
Windsor! 


189 


A Windsor  Handbook 


Windsor  Three-legged  Table 

Condition:  Apparently  original. 

Merit:  High.  The  stretchers  are  good  but  the  legs  are 
not  heavily  turned.  The  merit  of  this  sort  of  table 
seems  to  have  been  overlooked  or  the  early  makers 
would  have  left  us  more  examples.  The  light  weight 
and  the  grace  of  the  piece,  made  in  harmony  with  chairs 
in  the  same  room,  are  features  worth  gaining.  It  was 
natural  to  insert  the  stretchers  at  different  heights,  in 
a three-cornered  piece,  to  avoid  weakening  the  legs. 
But  that  was  frankly  done  in  the  very  early  three- 
cornered  chairs  and  stools. 

It  is  of  course  necessary  to  form  the  top  of  a thick 
piece  of  pine  to  gain  a solid  hold  for  the  legs,  otherwise 
battens  would  be  necessary  and  they  would  contra- 
vene the  theory  of  a Windsor  piece  which  is  a “stick 
leg.”  The  top  would  properly  consist  of  one  piece  of 
pine  which  would  limit  one  to  a small  table,  unless  one 
were  fortunate  enough  to  find  some  of  the  old  thirty- 
inch  pine.  The  edge  of  the  top  could  be  chamfered 
underneath,  gaining  the  effect  of  lightness  as  in  chairs. 

Date : Early  to  middle  period. 

Occurrence:  Unique  so  far  as  the  writer’s  knowledge  is 
concerned. 

Owned  by  L.  G.  Myers,  New  York  City,  N.  Y. 


Windsor  Table 

Condition:  Good  and  original. 

Merit:  Moderate.  This  is  a true  Windsor  table,  if  stick 
legs,  turned,  with  splay  and  stretchers  can  make  one. 
The  turning,  it  is  true,  especially  of  the  stretchers,  is 
heavy  and  graceless,  and  properly  there  should  be  no 
cleats. 

Date:  Early,  perhaps  very  early. 

Occurrence:  Very  rare. 

Owned  by  Wallace  Nutting,  Iron  Works  House,  Saugus 
Center,  Mass. 

These  tables  suggest  the  question,  because  of  their  obvious  ad- 
vantages, why  they  do  not  oftener  occur.  Other  styles  of  chairs 
have  their  corresponding  tables,  etc.  Why  not  the  Windsor  chair? 
There  seems  no  answer.  A very  attractive  table  could  obviously 
be  made  in  the  style  with  handsome  legs  and  cross  stretcher  to  con- 
nect with  end  stretchers. 

In  the  turnings  the  first  makers  of  Windsors  had  the  gate-leg. 
table  as  their  nearest  and  best  model,  and  comparison  with  such  a 
table  shows  many  a similarity  of  line  in  the  leg. 


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